People living in one of Bristol's van dweller communities have spoken out after they were issued with behaviour orders and threatened with prison. The off-grid community at Greenbank View have spent the last few years living in caravans, transits and horse boxes around Greenbank Cemetery, but have now been court-ordered to stick to a strict set of rules - one of which bans them from speaking to residents in neighbouring houses.
As reported by Bristol Live last week, the injunction order has been addressed to ‘persons unknown’ and stuck to the doors of all the vehicles in the road. They warn people that if they do not comply they may be held in contempt of court, arrested, ‘imprisoned or fined’ and have their assets seized. One of the rules prohibits them from ‘contacting either directly or indirectly, any resident of Greenbank View by whatever means’.
The series of behaviour orders was issued by a judge at Bristol’s County Court, after an application by Bristol City Council. The council says it follows a rise in complaints of blocked pavements, fires, littering, human waste, obstruction of pavements, double parking and the rising number of vehicles. Some neighbours have welcomed the injunction, also raising concerns about antisocial behaviour.
Read more: Greenbank View van-dwellers hope cemetery gate will be left open
However, van dwellers have now labelled the rules against them as "prejudiced" and say because of the housing crisis, they cannot afford to rent. A legal loophole means as long as their vehicle has full tax and MOT, there is little the authorities can do to move them on.
Dexter Shallcross, 24, a sociology student at the University of the West of England, has lived on the street in his yellow Mercedez Benz Sprinter since September.
He said: "There is clearly high-level prejudice in the council. They presume that rowdy behaviour, general drug use and disturbance must be the van people.
"I'm sure some cases are but not all of them. Although in some ways it’s a bit scruffy and not ideal, getting rid of us doesn’t stop addiction, it doesn’t stop homelessness and it doesn’t stop disturbances.”
Mo Abdi, 24, also a student, added: “Is this not a free country? If I’m walking down the street and someone says ‘hello mate, you alright’ am I not going to say anything?
“If they evict everyone from here, where’s everyone going to go? With the cost of living crisis and everything, people are struggling to pay rent and gas and electricity.
"A lot of people can’t afford to live in a house or flat. Life is hard, you know. Where is the humanity?"
Another caravan dweller, who asked not to be named, said: “We don't speak to the locals anyway. The council says we were offered places on meanwhile sites but we weren’t offered places on meanwhile sites.
“We were only offered places on waiting lists. It’s like we’re being persecuted for the way we live really.”
Neighbours welcome injunction
But some neighbours in the houses on the street have rejected their protests and say they welcome the injunction. Ian Aitken, 57, is a postman who has lived on the road since 2008.
He said: "It all starts off with one or two turning up and saying ‘oh yeah, we’ll keep it tidy and blah blah’." He claimed there had been issues with drug dealers targeting the area and other antisocial behaviour.
He questioned if they had an "absolute need to live in a caravan" or if it's a preference towards "a sort of hippie ideal" instead, adding: "The council do provide spaces for a lot of people but for whatever reason they don't want to use them — they would prefer to live independently."
Another neighbour, who declined to give his name, said: "I’ve lived here for over 30 years and this used to be a really nice place to live. Now my wife certainly won’t walk down the road because she feels unsafe. I will because I just refuse to be pushed down by them."
He claimed one of his neighbours interrupted a party there at 2am and "emptied a bucket of water over their fire". He added: "They said ‘where’s the love?’ and he said ‘where’s the respect?’ and went back to his house because he had to get up for work the next morning. At 2am it’s a bit much.
"The council are taking action before it gets even worse and I agree with them."
The injunction also bans them from parking on paths, obstructing footpaths with bikes or ''using aggressive, threatening, foul or intimidating language''. They are also told not to flytip, go to the toilet in public, parking too close to other vehicles or playing loud music during anti-social hours.
Regulations were introduced previously to enable the council to move van dwellers on - but many have returned. Van dwellers at another popular local spot near the Downs said they felt the council was attempting to "criminalise our lifestyle".
Gareth Jones, 28, a clerical assistant, said: “It is concerning, not just for the lack of clarity in the wording of it. It is indicative of a drive to criminalise our lifestyle.
“I am generally concerned about an overly intrusive state apparatus and this makes you feel unwelcome. As soon as anyone raises a fuss, there tends to be a clamp down. I am surprised the locals are as okay as they are with us being here.”
Council's full response
The council says the injunction terms are standard and aims to prevent residents who have made complaints claiming they had been harassed. A Bristol City Council spokesperson said it has created ‘meanwhile sites’ on unused council land where van dwellers can park.
But they are not big enough to cope with the influx. The spokesperson said: “Since November 2021 we saw a steady increase in the number of occupied vehicles on Greenbank View, Eastville, increasing from three to over 40 vehicles.
''While the encampment had previously remained at the bottom of the road away from houses it spread to outside the homes of residents which resulted in a rise in the number of complaints. These included issues with blocked pavements, fires, littering and human waste being incorrectly disposed of.
“Previous requests for vehicles to be removed from the pavement have not been met, and multiple visits have been made to the encampment since November 2021. The impact was reassessed and is now considered High Impact according to our vehicle dwelling encampment policy.
''The vehicle dwelling encampment policy allows us to take action in cases of anti-social behaviour while considering each situation on a case-by-case basis so, after carrying out welfare checks, we started legal action to move the vehicles on from this site.
“We want to balance the needs of everyone living in Bristol, both of those living in vehicles and residents so our approach must be compassionate and fair. 'We continue to tackle the housing crisis, building 2,563 new homes last year, including more affordable homes than for any year in more than a decade.
''The occupants of Greenbank View were previously offered 15 spaces at meanwhile sites but these were not taken up. There is now a high demand for places at our meanwhile sites, but they can still join the waiting list for a pitch.”
The order was passed on April 18 and will run until October.
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