00:00In one of Bristol's most well-known green spaces,
00:03a court now cleared the way for enforcement action
00:06against people living in vehicles parked around the Downs.
00:09Bristol City Council has been granted an order
00:12covering the main roads in the area,
00:14allowing officers to move forward with evictions
00:16of the vehicles currently parked there.
00:18The council says dozens of lived-in vans remain in place
00:21despite plans first set out in November
00:24to address what it describes as ongoing concerns
00:27linked to roadside living in the area.
00:30Councillor Stephen Williams says enforcement began in December
00:33following what the council calls significant health
00:36and environmental issues associated with the group
00:39living around the Downs.
00:40He said complaints had previously been received
00:42about people using the area inappropriately,
00:45but it had been difficult to link those issues
00:48directly to farm dwellers due to the site's heavy public use.
00:52According to Councillor Williams, on this occasion,
00:54items such as water bottles and tissues were found,
00:57which the council says supports reports
00:59that parts of the area were being used for sanitisation purposes
01:03by some residents living in vehicles.
01:05In August, a vehicle was deliberately set ablaze on the Downs
01:09with another number of arson attacks on caravans
01:12taking place in Bristol amid growing tensions with locals.
01:17Alongside the eviction order,
01:18the councils also applied for an injunction
01:20that would prevent vehicles returning to roads in future
01:23or new ones moving in.
01:25It's believed there could be more than 600 people
01:27living in vans in Bristol amid spiralling rental costs
01:30and many locals are unhappy with the situation.
01:34The issue sits within a wider housing challenge in Bristol,
01:37but council figures suggest the number of people living in vehicles
01:40has increased significantly in recent years,
01:43rising from around 150 in 2019 to an estimated 680.
01:48In response, the authority has been developing plans
01:51for what it calls meanwhile sites,
01:53temporary pitches with basic facilities
01:55intended to offer an alternative to roadside living,
01:58although delivery targets have recently been revised.
02:01In South Bristol, plans to build new caravan pitches
02:04on the site of a former sports centre
02:06have prompted concern from some residents living nearby.
02:09Bristol City Council is planning up to 60 pitches
02:12at the former Whitchurch Sports Centre on Barnfield.
02:15The proposals were approved by councillors on the planning committee
02:18and the decision was taken unanimously.
02:21Around 180 members of the public objected to the application,
02:24raising concerns about crime, safety, noise pollution
02:27and the potential for the site to become an eyesore.
02:30Written submissions include concerns
02:32that diesel generators and solid fuel heating
02:34could produce harmful emissions.
02:37The council says the site will be opened in three phases
02:39with a third of the pitches brought forward at each stage
02:42and staff will monitor the impact on the local area.
02:45No timescales have yet been confirmed for the phased opening.
02:49Planning permission for the site lasts three years
02:51after which a new application would be required
02:53and officials say the site could be ready to open later in the summer.
02:57No other thing, do not compare to the festival.
02:57If comments, just make a sense ofーハwe alone
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