An engineer who stayed at a couple of meanwhile sites has spoken out about his terrible experience (Warning: article contains graphic images)
The Kingswear Road meanwhile site in Knowle West(Image: Rich (surname withheld))
Safety fears have shrouded the so-called “meanwhile sites” where an exodus of people living in caravans on the Downs could soon be sent to. Claims have emerged on one meanwhile site of bullying, harassment, a dog bite and a knife attack, with scant support from the site’s managers.
Bristol City Council is planning to increase the number of pitches on meanwhile sites, which are similar to small caravan parks. People currently living in vans on the Downs could next year be encouraged to relocate to these sites instead, as there is running water and toilets provided for a small fee. Leading councillors have said these are safer than staying on the side of the road.
These claims have prompted a previous tenant of two meanwhile sites in Bristol to speak out with his experience of staying there. Rich, who asked not to include his surname, stayed at the Kingswear Road site in Knowle West and the New Fosseway Road site in Hengrove in 2022. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he questioned the council’s safety claims.
Rich said: “If the management of the sites are not willing to enforce rules, evict aggressive people, and defend vulnerable people, then it’s just a wild west with a padlock on the front. Why would people give up the plush safe environment of the Downs for a wild west hellhole with no management?”
In response, the council said that all meanwhile sites operate under clear rules which are consistently enforced, such as keeping dogs on leads at all times. Few formal complaints are made and issues tend to be resolved quickly.
Three and a half years ago Rich had just finished studying in North Wales and moved onto the New Fosseway Road meanwhile site. Six months later he claims he was “exhausted, bitten, stabbed and fleeing back to North Wales”. When first arriving, he said dogs were off the lead, in breach of the council’s rules, barking and getting aggressive.
Warning: Graphic image below
The aftermath of the dog bite(Image: Rich (surname withheld))
After staying one night he was asked to relocate to a second meanwhile site, as one of the existing tenant’s dogs “didn’t like mine and he was there first”. Rich added: “I asked about the dogs on lead policy and was told it was rarely enforced”. He then moved onto the Kingswear Road site on the Northern Slopes, with a spectacular view of the city, but more issues with dogs.
Meanwhile sites are set up by the council on empty plots of land, usually before housing is built there. They have pitches for caravans, as well as toilets, bins and running water, and provide an alternative to people living in vans by the kerbside. The council is encouraging people living in vans to relocate towards these sites, after complaints from many people living near the Downs.
Rich said: “As soon as I moved onto the pitch I started getting issues with Uzileka, a Romanian sheepdog, coming onto my pitch and attacking my dog. Uzileka would spend its time roaming the grounds and going to the toilet everywhere, barking at locals passing the fence and attacking my dog.
“I took on a new engineering job and felt like I’d got back to Bristol and could soon reintegrate into the city. On the weekend of my first payday I was sitting on my pitch with others looking over Bristol and thinking about how beautiful a city it was. Out of the dark Uzileka ran up to my dog and started attacking him again. I ran down to separate the two and my dog Jack was locked onto Uzileka’s ear.
“I held both their collars waiting for the right time to pull them apart but felt a push from a chap that had come over and misinterpreted the situation. As I turned to explain the situation to him I lost focus and turned to see the sheepdog’s three-inch tooth piercing my wrist. It bounced off the part that keeps the tendons in one place and poked out the other side.”
After the dog bite he headed to Southmead Hospital where he was told he had sepsis. Over the next few weeks he tried but failed to get the police or council staff to intervene, and eventually lost his job due to stress. “I felt alone and vulnerable behind a locked padlock gate,” he added. “It felt like a prison.”
Other tenants “constantly confronted” Rich, who returned to the site to find dog poo smeared on the padlock on the entrance gate. One tenant would walk past his caravan and bang on the walls. Then in August Rich claims the tenant attacked him, “pinning me against the front gate”, while another tenant then “came out with a breadknife and left me with a scar on my right arm”.
Dog poo smeared on a padlock on the front gate of the site(Image: Rich (surname withheld))
He took the knife to a police station, where he was initially arrested, but said the police quickly dropped the charges. He then shortly after moved out of the Kingswear Road meanwhile site, and returned to North Wales. He now lives on a boat near Bristol, and has chosen to speak out now because of the recent news that the council is planning to create new meanwhile sites.
A Bristol City Council spokesperson said: “All Meanwhile Sites operate under clear rules, including a requirement that dogs must be kept on a lead at all times to prevent conflict between dogs and people. These rules are taken seriously and enforced consistently.
“We are currently reviewing the management of Meanwhile Sites to ensure full compliance with site licence agreements. We have received very few formal complaints regarding Meanwhile Sites, and only two concerning site safety. Most issues tend to be at the level of neighbour disputes and are resolved quickly without formal action or complaint.
“When issues arise on our sites they are dealt with promptly and robustly. Complaints about behaviour are managed in line with the same processes used by other council departments for antisocial behaviour.”