News / Barton Hill
Residents say liveable neighbourhood will be ‘end of Barton Hill’
On the same day that police officers joined contractors in Barton Hill in the early hours of the morning to install a much-opposed bus gate, residents of the area met at a neighbourhood cafe to vent their frustrations.
A few dozen people gathered in Cafe Conscious hoping to find a solution that could finally put an end to their fight against the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood.
One man who now lives just outside the EBLN trial area shared a commonly-held belief that Bristol City Council is “being funded by various people and they’re having to implement this because of external pressures”.
He added: “They’re doing this for their own end. It is not for the people. The people don’t want this. Only the councillors want this.”
The concerned resident – who often travels to the area to visit friends – felt that despite regular opposition, protests and meetings, the council still ignores residents’ genuine concerns about the scheme.
Protesters once again prevented contractors from installing a bus gate on Marsh Lane as part of the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood scheme
Cafe Conscious on Avonvale Road was filled with a unified resentment towards the EBLN with residents of all age groups attending to share their anger.
In the corner of the cafe sat an elderly man who has lived in east Bristol almost all of his life and was pleased to be asked for his opinion.
“You’re going to find a lot of people in this area pulling out of this area altogether,” he told Bristol24/7.
“The businesses in this area will pull out first. They cannot get deliveries to them if the lorries cannot get here in the first place and the lorries will not come here.
“And when that happens, businesses will start to decline and that will be the end of Barton Hill.
“The area has changed a lot in the last few years and this will only make it worse.”
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The bus gate installed almost outside Cafe Conscious was met with strong opposition since it was put in place from around 4am in the morning when most people were still asleep.
The residents at the meeting were also appalled at the large number of police officers, with an Avon & Somerset Police spokesperson saying they were present “to facilitate the roll-out of a council-led scheme”.
Another resident at the public meeting on Thursday evening, who has lived in the area for almost 30 years, said: “The EBLN has made the area a nightmare because this is going to make it difficult to get around.
“They’re just going to have to drive around the long way and it just causes more problems. Some drivers will refuse to come to the area, which they already have apparently.
“It is just a disaster really.”
All photos: Karen Johnson
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