Controversy over plan for van-dwellers on old South Bristol railway line

People living near the site are opposing the plan

The North Somerset Railway Line, now, behind the Lodekka pub in Brislington(Image: John Myers)

A third new ‘meanwhile site’ for Bristol’s van and caravan dwellers has been proposed by Bristol City Council – on an old railway line in Brislington.

The city council has submitted an application to itself to create 30 pitches for vehicles that people live in on the old North Somerset Railway line, more commonly known as ‘the Tramway’ behind the Lodekka pub on the A4 Bath Road in Brislington.

The site would stretch from behind the pub, south along the old railway line under the Bath Road bridge to the point where Talbot Road crosses over the line.

It is the third new ‘meanwhile site’ identified by the council after the council opened a new one in Lockleaze, and proposed another in Southmead before Christmas, as the Green Party-led city council looks to increase the number of places van dwellers are allowed to park up.

The council wants to provide 250 pitches across the city by the end of the financial year, with four further sites – one in Southmead, this one in Brislington and two in Hengrove – currently in the early stages of the planning permission process.

If those four sites are granted planning consent, they will bring the total of available pitches to around the 200 mark. The sites are a key part of the council’s new “vehicle dweller policy” as BCC says they are a safer, more manageable alternative to living on the side of the road.

(Image: John Myers)

The council took most of 2025 to come up with a new policy on van-dwellers after the controversy over the numbers of people living in vehicles on the Downs – with at one time more than 125 caravans and vans on the roads of Durdham Down. But that was just a fraction of the overall total across Bristol – with an estimated 700-800 people living in vehicles around Bristol, often in residential streets or unused areas of land.

The planning application for the Brislington Tramway was submitted at the end of January, and has already attracted dozens of objections – many from the people whose back gardens back on to the old disused railway line.

At present, the line is tarmacked and was once used as a car park for a nearby church but in recent years, Roma Gypsies, travellers and van dwellers have used it unofficially, sometimes for several months at a time, and sparking complaints from local residents.

This time the council said they are seeking ‘temporary permission’ for up to three years, but it could be a shorter period.

READ MORE: Tap water turned off to Bristol van dwellers amid health concernsREAD MORE: First new ‘meanwhile site’ for van dwellers opens in Lockleaze

“This will be a managed site with an emphasis on ensuring public safety, protecting the environment, and managing waste and traffic,” a council spokesperson said.

“This is part of a new policy to relocate vehicle-dwellers from the roadside, where there is a lack of basic facilities, which poses a risk to public health,” they added.

“This application is seeking temporary planning permission for a period of three years to use the site as a Meanwhile Site, containing a total of up to 30 pitch spaces with dedicated waste storage and water facilities,” the council application states.

“As part of the enablement works for the site we propose to secure the site boundaries through improvements to fencing, install a mains water supply for a standpipe, provide waste bins (general and recycling), provide ten portable toilets, and mark out 30 pitch spaces.

The North Somerset Railway Line is overgrown on a stretch near the Lodekka pub(Image: John Myers)

“Should the council no longer require the use of the site before the temporary three-year period has lapsed, the site will be returned and made available for subsequent use,” they added.

Objections are already mounting in just a few days since the planning application was posted on the council’s website.

One neighbour commented: “We haven’t long got rid of the travellers in this area where they have left large amounts of litter.

“I am fed up of smelling weed in my garden and the noise throughout the day and night. This will likely lead to more problems overtime,” they added.

Another resident pointed out that the old railway line through Brislington is designated as a potential strategic transport corridor – there have been controversies over what could or should be done with it for years – but also acts as a ‘crucial wildlife corridor’ and will be a huge issue for the people whose homes back onto the currently quiet and empty former railway line.

READ MORE: Bristol’s lost railway line and the four ideas for its futureREAD MORE: Turning Bristol’s lost railway into a relief road is not the answer says Mayor

“The impact on residential amenity for neighbours on Tramway and Talbot Road will be severe,” said the resident, one of almost 40 to have objected in just the first few days.

“This is a narrow, confined site where sound travels easily, meaning that noise from generators, vehicles, and outdoor living activities will be amplified directly into our private gardens and bedrooms. Placing such a high-density site immediately adjacent to existing homes is unneighbourly and creates an unacceptable level of disturbance that residents should not be expected to tolerate,” they added.

Bristol City Council is opening a new ‘meanwhile site’ in Lockleaze(Image: Bristol Live)

Local councillor Andrew Varney (Lib Dem, Brislington West) urged people to have their say on the proposal.

“We support the idea of properly managed sites for people in need,” he said. “However, given the years of unauthorised encampments in this location local residents have endured, we are concerned about the effective running of the site to ensure no negative impact on nearby communities,” he added.