News / Van Dwellers
Van dwellers unable to live on more roads around Downs
Van dwellers are unable to live on more roads around the Downs after Bristol City Council was granted an extension to an anti-social behaviour injunction.
The current injunction covers the grassed area of the Downs and Ladies Mile, and now also includes Circular Road, Clay Pitt Road, Downleaze, Parrys Lane, Rockleaze, Roman Road, Saville Road, Stoke Road, Westbury Park Road and Wills Lane.
Running until May 2027, the injunction means that after the possession order has been enforced to remove any lived-in and abandoned vehicles, any new group of vehicles must leave after being served with the injunction and must not return to the area without permission.
It follows the granting of a court order in April which gave the council a 21-day possession order for the main roads around the Downs.
This gave the council the power to evict people living in vehicles on those roads as well as allowing van dwellers an opportunity to leave before legal powers are used against them.
Van dwellers must leave the Downs by Thursday, with the council promising that “further enforcement steps will be taken” if vehicles have not been removed and the local authority “will have to work with bailiffs to remove remaining vehicles”.
Barry Parsons, chair of the homes & housing delivery committee, said: “We recognise that people living in vehicles do so for a variety of reasons, but are often doing so because they have very few safe or affordable alternatives.
“Enforcement is not just about moving people around the city, it is about helping people move towards safer, more stable living arrangements, while also protecting the wellbeing of the wider community who use and live around the Downs.
“Our policy is to offer support first, but we have always been very clear that when a group of lived-in vehicles has a negative impact on the local community, we will need to take action.
“Fundamentally we want to make sure that all communities, including those living in vehicles or caravans, and those in homes in neighbourhoods, have a meaningful and fair chance to live healthy and safe lives.
“Our outreach team continue to engage with their clients, and we want to make sure everyone is aware of the support available to them.
“I would encourage anyone living in a vehicle on the Downs, or anywhere in the city, to engage with the support services available, and take the first steps to moving away from unstable kerbside living.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
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