News / Barton Hill
Cafe owner slams council’s ‘underhand tactics’
The founder of a cafe in Barton Hill has slammed what she calls Bristol City Council’s “underhand tactics” during the implementation of the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood trial.
In an open letter which can be read in full here, Deniece Dixon said the council “should be doing everything to keep us open (but) instead you are trying to end Cafe Conscious“.
Dixon’s cafe on Avonvale Road is very close to a bus gate which was recently installed by council contractors at 3am.
In her letter, Dixon said: “Firstly I want to say how disappointed and let down I feel by this local council, your underhand tactics of closing Avonvale Road via Google Maps last year without informing any of the small businesses that are trading on this road.
“All of us are from minoritised backgrounds trying to make a living.
“This was without our knowledge, we have only just found this out, we could have put out information ourselves that the road was still open if you had the decency or respect to inform us.”
Dixon added: “Cafe Conscious has always been an independent. We relied on passing trade which kept us going so we could support the community…
“With services on their knees and lack of funding why wouldn’t you support a community cafe that supports so many vulnerable people in Bristol?
“With this East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood and the bus gate directly in front of us you have cut off our trade. How are we supposed to carry on?
“You all should be doing everything to keep us open. Instead you are trying to end Cafe Conscious.
“During Covid we made and delivered hundreds and hundreds of meals. The evacuation of Barton House we supported because we care and now you are destroying all of this.”
‘Stop the EBLN’ signs in the window of Cafe Conscious in Barton Hill – photo: Martin Booth
Responding to Dixon’s letter, Ed Plowden, chair of Bristol City Council’s transport & connectivity committee, said: “A key benefit of the scheme is to encourage more people to walk, wheel and cycle through the area, and mounting evidence shows people who travel actively tend to spend more time supporting their local businesses, and that they generally buy more and more often.
“We have been in regular contact with businesses throughout the trial area at every stage of the project, including running a business operations survey, sending letters with updates, dropping in on businesses, and offering meetings to go through the plans and what support is available.
“We will be engaging again with the community in the autumn and will continue to collect monitoring data, such as impacts on traffic and air quality, that will feed into our analysis of the trial scheme.
“This support includes grants and funding to encourage more active travel and to make businesses more sustainable, from installing cycle storage to setting up e-cargo bike deliveries.
“We are confident that businesses within the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood trial area will see the benefits of less congested streets where roads are safer and people can enjoy the local environment.”
Main photo: Ellie Pipe
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