![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1748601562_781_0_A-view-of-vans-and-caravans-by-the-side-of-a-road-in-Clifton-Down.jpg\")
A view of vans and caravans by the side of a road in Clifton Down(Image: Paul Gillis \/ Reach PLC)<\/p>\n“The council have to date neglected their responsibility to use current legislation to remove vehicles”<\/p>\n
05:00, 30 May 2025Updated 08:45, 30 May 2025<\/p>\n
A view of vans and caravans by the side of a road in Clifton Down(Image: Paul Gillis \/ Reach PLC)<\/p>\n
The first major event of a new campaign group set up in response to the ongoing issue of people living in vans and caravans on The Downs in Bristol is being organised.<\/p>\n
Billed as a \u2018Show of Support\u2019 walk, the event on June 12 is being organised by the new Protect the Downs campaign group, formed following a public meeting held back in late March<\/a>, which saw frustrated residents told it could take a year before council chiefs take action.<\/p>\n Protect The Downs has been formed since then, from a couple of the local residents\u2019 groups already set up in Westbury Park and Sneyd Park.<\/p>\n The group\u2019s organisers say it \u2018aims to hold Bristol City Council<\/a> accountable for enforcing existing restrictions and bylaws, ensuring the Downs are preserved for legitimate public use by families, walkers, athletes, educators, wildlife-lovers, festival goers from all over our city\u2019.<\/p>\n The first event organised as part of that campaign will be a \u2018Show of Support\u2019 walk around the Downs on the evening of Thursday, June 12, with people asked to gather at the Water Tower from 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start.<\/p>\n A spokesperson said the walk was being staged to \u2018show support for a safer, cleaner Downs and highlight the impact of council inaction on public wellbeing\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThis walk is for women concerned about safety, families and children, students and educators, nature lovers, dog walkers, local residents and people with disabilities,\u201d they added. Organisers have asked that people don\u2019t bring banners, and treat people with \u2018kindness and respect\u2019, with children invited \u2018come dressed as their favourite animal or flower\u2019.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Hundreds call for quicker action to remove Downs caravans during heated meeting<\/a>READ MORE: IT professional says he moved to van on the Downs because of high rents<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cProtect The Downs has been formed to campaign with public support to force the council to take responsibility to clear the downs of vehicles which have been abandoned and not lived in, provide alternative accommodation for van dwellers, take responsibility for managing the waste and other detritus which have polluted the once pristine downs and bring and enforce laws to stop overnight camping on the downs and surrounding areas,\u201d said Alan Jenkinson, from Protect the Downs.<\/p>\n \u201cThe council have to date neglected their responsibility to use current legislation to remove vehicles and manage the Downs area, ensuring that it doesn\u2019t become a caravan park which it has and deterring people from all over the UK to move to Bristol for a \u2018free lifestyle\u2019,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a long game because for years Bristol city council have neglected their responsibilities and allowed the Downs to become a rubbish dump and cause fear and anxiety in residents and change normal life for them. Some women are fearful of going out onto the Downs with the amount of unknown dwellers there now,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cThe event has been well thought through and will be marshalled. The police have been informed and may be in attendance. It is likely that we will get many thousands of people there, which will be amazing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Read more on Bristol’s van-dweller issue:<\/strong><\/p>\n The public meeting back on March 24<\/a> that sparked the formation of the campaign group saw more than 450 people pack into St Albans\u2019 Church, with at least another 150-200 left outside. Bristol Live was the city\u2019s only news media in attendance<\/a>, and reported that the council\u2019s housing chief Cllr Barry Parsons acknowledged the issue<\/a> but told those there that the housing crisis which was prompting hundreds of people to live in vans and caravans was a city-wide problem, for which there was no quick or easy fixes.<\/p>\n The meeting heard from many residents complaining about how the lack of sanitation or waste collection for the van-dwellers was impacting on their community, but also heard from several van dwellers themselves, explaining their position and how they had ended up living there.<\/p>\n The issue of people living in vans has been an ongoing challenge for the city council for around a decade, but has increased particularly since the Covid pandemic five years ago. It is estimated there are around 800 vans or caravans being occupied on the city\u2019s streets at the moment, but some van dwellers say that is an under-estimation, with as many as 80 to 100 on the Downs, and hundreds more spread around the city.<\/p>\n Other locations, including the roads around Greenbank Cemetery in Easton<\/a>, empty industrial sites in Lockleaze<\/a>, Bedminster<\/a>, Ashton Gate, Totterdown and St Philips have all seen or currently have large numbers of van dwellers living there too, as well as on the Downs.<\/p>\n Join Bristol Live\u2019s WhatsApp community for top stories and breaking news sent directly to your phone<\/strong><\/p>\n Bristol Live<\/a> is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.<\/p>\n Through the app, we\u2019ll send the latest breaking news, top stories, exclusives and much more straight to your phone.<\/p>\n To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select \u2018Join Community\u2019.<\/a><\/p>\n No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live<\/a> team.<\/p>\n We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.<\/p>\n To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose \u2018Exit group\u2019.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"More](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0_TCBR250325DownsMeetBRI_02jpeg.jpg\")
More than 450 people, with another 150 kept outside, attended a public meeting at St Albans Church in Westbury Park on Monday, March 24, 2025, to talk about the issue of people living in caravans and vans on the Downs in Bristol(Image: Bristol Post)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0_WhatsApp-Phone.jpg\")
Bristol Live WhatsApp Breaking News and Top Stories<\/p>\n