Planters installed around Bristol park to stop van dwellers coming back after eviction

Planters have been installed near a Bristol park in a bid to stop people who live in vans and campervans from parking there.

Van dwellers who had been parked on streets near St George Park for several years were handed an eviction notice by Bristol City Council back in September. It followed an increase in reports of anti-social behaviour complaints to police from neighbours living nearby.

While most left within 28 days of being given the initial council notice, a court order was used to evict several residents living in vehicles along Park Crescent and Lake View Road. Further enforcement action is planned against two vehicles that still remain on the road.

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The planters have now been installed along the roads near the park, in order to prevent the van dwellers from coming back. St George West Cllr Rob Bryher explained in a statement on Facebook that the planters were a ‘compromise’.

He said they provided enough space between them to allow for the parking of smaller vehicles on the street, but blocked bigger vans, which some claimed made the road unsafe.

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He said: “I know that people across St George West think different things about caravan and campervan dwellers and will equally feel different things about this change. My job is to represent everyone who lives in St George West (housed or van-dwelling) and to mediate between groups who may be in conflict to find workable solutions.

“Bristol has over 600 people living in vehicles and although we are bringing forward two new sites through the planning process, there are no easy solutions to the housing crisis at the local level. At the same time, living in a moveable vehicle is not illegal in the UK and people have the right to do it.

“My view is that nationally we need rent controls and a housing-first approach to homelessness. We also need to ensure that people who have addiction and/or mental health support needs are provided with the required support. The NET enforcement action included welfare checks and signposting to relevant housing agencies and other services.

“I wish I could click my fingers and enact an equal standard of living for all. But for now, we have to find suitable compromises that prevent large accumulations of live-in vehicles in single locations while at the same time showing understanding and care to vehicle dwellers.”

Cllr Bryher expressed empathy with those living in vans and reminded his social media followers that it is not illegal to live in vans in the UK and that national rent controls and a housing first approach to homelessness would offer a better long-term solution to the conflicts arising between households and vandwellers.

He also added that road safety is his ‘number one concern’ and that the highways team is now taking this opportunity to install a crossing point along Park Crescent. Bristol City Council has been approached for a comment.