Nice to see the new edition of The Land magazine but nowt about a chilling test case in Bristol, which other councils are hoping to run out across the country…
The City Council’s Exclusion Order is aimed at The Downs, land owned by Bristol’s archaic Edward Colston slave trading society, the Merchant Venturers. They are now mostly corporate lawyers and are also using their legal expertise to charge all regular sports activities on The Downs, such as frisbee groups, £2,600 for the use of the this 400 acre open space. It seems a silent cry has gone out from the Merchants, echoed at City Hall, for all Bristol’s public land to be monetised.
But it’s not just the housing crisis which led to over 150 vehicles staying on The Downs last year. The reason was that, since Covid, the council have been pursuing a systematic programme of traveller evictions from all the city’s biggest traveller sites on unused land, forcing hundreds out from self-managed sites onto the streets.
Bristol’s Merchant Venturers documentary HTV West Eye View (1995) Cabot Colston Mafia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVAq1YRK0RI
We are the ones to protect the Downs say Merchant Venturers
The Society of Merchant Venturers have defended the status quo, pointing out that most of it is their land, and is only open to the public because of the 1861 Act.
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/ones-protect-downs-say-merchant-9628982
Personal trainers could be charged £2,600 to use the Downs
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/personal-trainers-could-charged-2600-10634391
Social Cleansing by stealth with The Downs as ‘killing zone’
About 300 cara/vans on large off-road sites around the city (Gasworks, Lockleaze; Tramways in Brislington etc.) have been evicted over the last three years, leaving hundreds of travellers kerb-side. Those trying to ride out the housing crisis were thus ejected from traditional secure sites, by a council charged to house all its citizens, onto the streets.
Forced out of secure, self-managed sites, arson attacks and graffiti death-threats have now become almost a weekly occurrence at Bristol City Council’s hands.
These exact same sites are now being ‘reopened’ by Bristol City Council as steel-gated compounds or ‘Meanwhile Sites’. The sites each have one water standpipe and drain-hole and travellers are expected to pay £1,700 a year in rent to the council plus from April £2,000 Band A council tax too to live on a council CCTV surveilled, ID spot checked site, which van dwellers used to happily self-manage, and live on for free.
Much of the news coverage ignores the Green ‘Human Rights City’ Council’s blatant act of ‘social cleansing’ because the 500 or so who are being forced out of the city by the council flytipping enforcement team, have no money, and no legal representation.
The Spectator: A day with Bristol’s van dwellers
Trial date set as Downs ‘van dwellers’ saga nears an end
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/trial-date-set-downs-van-10797139
About 45 vehicles remained parked on roads surrounding the park in north Bristol (down from 150 early in 2025)
Bristol City Council is set for a court showdown as it moves to permanently ban people living in vehicles from the roads around the Downs.
In November, the council said it would seek to move people on from the Downs after designating the group of vehicles there as a ‘high impact’ site, due to what the council said was evidence of people using the area as a toilet.
Nonetheless, about 45 vehicles remain parked on roads along the outside of the green space in leafy north Bristol. At its peak, the Downs ‘encampment’ consisted of about 150 vehicles.
Now, a trial date has been set where the council will apply to have vehicles permanently barred from the area.
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At the trial, on April 16, the council will apply for a possession order for the roads, allowing them to evict people living in vehicles there, and then an injunction to prevent them from returning have the vehicles still occupying roads along the perimeter of the Downs.
The court hearing will allow people on both sides of the debate to have their say; the council has until February 26 to publish a map detailing the proposed new exclusion zone, along with details of how people can take part in the court case.
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At a brief hearing outlining next steps in the long-running saga at Bristol Civil Justice Court on Thursday (February 5), the court heard from both critics and supporters of people living in vehicles.
Alan Jenkinson, appearing on behalf of Protect The Downs – a group of locals who have waged a long campaign against the so-called van dwellers – said he wanted the scope of the proposed injunction to be extended to include other roads in the area.
“We support the council’s application,” he said. “I would implore the court to extend the broad nature of the injunction to other roads.
“We know from our experience and we’ve got substantial evidence to prove the danger to the public of allowing inhabitations on the roads.
“(The vehicles pose a) real risk and threat to the community in the area.”
Although the council has repeatedly promised to engage with the people still living in vehicles in the area to better understand their circumstances, there is limited evidence to suggest they have done so.
Gerard Winstanley, from the Bristol Housing Action Movement group, said more needed to be done to make sure people living in vehicles in the area had their say on their future.
“We’ve had virtually no representation whatsoever from the people who are targeted by this exclusion order,” he said.
“There are roughly 45 vehicles in the area. As part of our submission, what I’d just ask is that there’s more deliberate publicity given to the times and dates that these orders are being sought so that people can at least find out what the council intends to do and when.”
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Mr Winstanley said BHAM would seek to be included as a party acting against the council in April’s trial.
The council will also apply to extend a separate injunction which currently bars people from parking on the grass itself. That injunction is due to expire on July 25.
Robin Denford, appearing on behalf of the council, said:“The injunction that has been granted already has worked extremely well,” citing the example of one trespasser who had been dealt with without any issues in January.
The Downs encampment represents a small percentage of the total number of vehicles being used as homes around Bristol, about 600 according to the council’s last estimate.
April’s trial is scheduled to last two days.