Hundreds of people back Greenbank View van community’s stand against council’s eviction

A community living in vans in Greenbank View has been given a week to move on, with tomorrow (Tuesday 26th) the deadline for leaving.

With a lot less than the estimated 25 caravans and vans parked up on Greenbank View now, it is thought many people have already moved on ahead of the deadline.

But that doesn’t mean that the community is accepting of the order, and many of the people down there believe there’s a cause to campaign about.

Made up of mainly young people, new to the van community and who are unable to afford the escalating rents in the city, they are also trying to raise awareness of the injustices faced by Gypsy, Roma Traveller (GRT) communities.

As a result, despite it looking as though the council will succeed in moving the community tomorrow (April 26), a petition has been started by those residing on Greenbank View.

And with 944 signatures already, it would appear that there’s a lot of support, too. So, if people are thought to be leaving already, why does the community think it’s still worth petitioning over?

“We feel this is a waste of time and money, especially as we have expressed a willingness to work alongside the council and local community and to respond to any concerns,” the petition states.

“We know from previous evictions, this will not solve the problem. But merely force us to move elsewhere, putting pressure on more residential areas.

“The forced removal may also result in vulnerable members of the community being isolated or destabilised by mental health issues. The solution of moving us will be short term and undoubtedly followed by people returning.”

Naturally, the group is also moving on due to the threat of financial penalty, as if they stay past the removal order, they will be fined and taken to court.

Juliet Mur, who has started the petition, states in the description: “We don’t believe what we are doing is a crime. We are just trying to exist. The majority of us at Greenbank View are young people, unable to afford to live in this city despite working as hard as we do.

“Young people are struggling to afford stable housing, the average rent in Bristol being over £600 per month, yet wages have stayed the same. Vehicle dwelling is our solution to the housing crisis. We also find this way of life means we have more time for volunteering, community projects and our own pursuits.”

Those who live in the vans stress that they want to co-exist peacefully with the community around them, and that they are not there to cause trouble. One of the council’s objections, however, is that the number of vans means that the community is starting to encroach on people’s residential properties.

As of today,, whether it’s because many vehicles have already left, the site feels fairly far removed from surrounding houses.

Plus, there is some of the anger comes from the van dwelling community, given that the council initially suggested the site as a suitable place to reside.

The petition states: “The council initially recommended that we live at Greenbank view, suggesting it was a suitable road. It is a ‘no through’ road and is not directly outside any housing. We feel it is an appropriate site for a vehicle community due to the wide nature of the road, allowing people to pass either on the road or pavement.”

The council is, however, using the powers they were given in 2019 to be able to move van dwellers on even if their vehicles are parked legally.

What is perhaps up for debate, is whether or not the community in question is causing disruption or widespread social nuisance, which the council chiefs at the time said would be the reason they would use the powers.

According to posts on social media and comments of support on the petition, many Greenbank locals and homeowners enjoy having the van community in place, with many citing that it makes them feel safer at night and that they like walking through.

It’s this power that the community currently residing in vans on Greenbank View feels is unjust. The petition continues: “We are aware there is a long standing history of GRT communities being stereotyped, racially attacked and forced to move on. The endless social cleansing and outlawing of a culture has broken down and criminalised GTR communities.

“We don’t experience this prejudice in the same way and recognise we are receiving a less harsh response from the council.”

What Bristol City Council say

Bristol City said since November last year it had seen a ‘steady increase’ in the number of occupied vehicles in the road, increasing from three to around 25.

A spokesperson said: “While previously the encampment has remained at the bottom of the road away from residential homes, it has now grown and has spread to outside the homes of residents.

“The increase in encampment size has resulted in a rise in the number of complaints; including blocked pavements, fires being lit, human waste being badly disposed of and the increasing number of occupied vehicles.

“The impact on local housing and the primary school was reassessed and considered to now be High Impact according to our vehicle dwelling encampment policy. Previous requests for vehicles to be removed from the pavement have not been met.”

The spokesperson added that under policy, officers visited last month and offered access to other sites in the city - but no one took up the offer.

They added: “The vehicles that remain on site have now been issued legal notices asking them to vacate the site. If vehicles do not move by the date given, we will look to take further legal action to remove those that remain.”