HUNDREDS of people turned out for a meeting about the caravans on the Downs.
St Alban’s Church in Westbury Park had to limit the numbers inside to 450 and it was estimated another 150 were outside.
The turnout at the meeting on March 24, organised by Sneyd Park Residents Association, shows the strength of feeling about the community of people living in vans in the area.
Some van dwellers attended the meeting with local residents to hear Councillor Barry Parsons, the Green chair of the city council’s homes and housing delivery committee and his Conservative deputy Councillor Richard Eddy outline their ideas for dealing with the growing number of van dwellers across the city.
They said that they were developing a policy that would include taking action where necessary and providing suitable official sites for van dwellers.
People who were at the meeting told the Voice that it was well run and the atmosphere was respectful, but that residents were concerned that action was not being taken quickly enough.
Former Conservative Councillor Sharon Scott told the meeting that she used to receive complaints weekly about the van dwellers and that she and colleagues had made some suggestions of possible solutions to the previous administration at the council.
These included a law banning parking and the identification of potential sites with facilities that could be used.
“The Downs was left to the people of Bristol to enjoy. It was never supposed to be used in this way,” she said.
There were calls for the council to remove empty and damaged vans and rubbish from the Downs.
Some residents felt angry and there was talk of people with-holding their council tax but other people both inside and outside had sympathy with the people who are living in their vans because of the housing crisis.