PLANS to make businesses operating in Bristol’s parks pay £450 a year for a licence have been paused – but enterprises on the Downs could face even higher fees.
A row erupted last month when Bristol City Council announced proposals to bring in parks licences from October 1 for those running activities such as professional dog walking, yoga classes or bootcamps.
After a backlash, the plan was put on pause for further talks in the hope of creating a scheme that differentiates between smaller businesses and not-for-profit organisations and larg-scale commercial enterprises.
However, the licences could still go ahead for the Downs, and potentially at a more expensive price per licence.
Campaigners tried to ask the Downs committee, formed of councillors and members of the Society of Merchant Venturers, about the proposed licences during a public meeting on September 15. Instead of getting a response, they were told to leave the meeting.
Conservative Councillor Henry Michallat, the lord mayor and chair of the Downs committee, said: “The items we’re discussing in the closed session contain sensitive information and confidential information. Openness and involvement are something that this committee takes very seriously — but we have to have the ability to discuss sensitive information.
“Some of it is private correspondence, legal information and commercially sensitive information. We want to be as open and transparent as possible. But obviously there’s sensitive information that we need to discuss in private.”
The Downs are a popular exercise spot for people running, playing football, taking bootcamp classes and even playing Quidditch. Some exercise classes however can attract large groups as big as 60 people, prompting complaints from the Downs Advisory Panel. Two years ago the panel suggested personal trainers should be charged up to £1,000 a year for a licence.
Maureen Norman, a local resident, said: “What is the intention of the Downs committee regarding the suggested charges for exercise classes and dog walkers? The Downs are supposed to belong to the people of Bristol and there should not be charges for this. After all, the van dwellers are causing more problems than exercise classes.”
The proposal to charge licences to use the parks stretches back to 2018. The former Labour cabinet signed off plans exploring the licences, but ultimately dropped them as they said fees “were a bad idea”. Then earlier this month, the council announced that the plan had been revived.
By Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service