Ward profiles 2021: Bishopsworth – ‘Our precious green belt is under threat’

Keith was thirsty on a recent Thursday afternoon in Bedminster Down. Milk is currently his drink of choice and he guzzled it down with not much thought for manners at an outside table set up in the garden.

Keith is a ten-day-old piglet who is being hand-raised by Catherine Withers, the owner of Yew Tree Farm. The farm, located off Bridgwater Road close to the distinctive Pavilions office building, is the last working farm in Bristol.

One of a litter of 15 brothers and sisters, Keith was born with curled feet. As his mum Cornflower has only 14 working teats, Catherine has bottle-fed him milk since he was less than a day old, and he sleeps in a laundry basket in her and her husband John’s bedroom.

Their home is under threat, however, with much of the land around it earmarked for hundreds of houses. If built, this would mean the end of the farm as the loss of the land would make it economically unviable.

“I do feel really angry and let down,” said Catherine as she cradled Keith in a knitted blanket. “This farm is doing great things for the city and the people who live in it.”

Catherine Withers, 51, and ten-day-old Keith – photo: Martin Booth

Catherine is full of praise for the work of Richard Eddy, who has been the Conservative councillor for Bishopsworth ward for almost three decades, having defeated Labour lord mayor-elect Joan McLaren for the seat in 1992, becoming the then youngest city councillor at age 26.

Eddy also said that the area “has been let down” by Bristol City Council.

He told Bristol24/7: “Our precious open space and ‘Green Belt’ buffer are under threat of development by the Labour council, which is also attempting to destroy Bedminster Down’s Yew Tree Farm, Bristol’s last working farm and a model of sustainable low-intensity local food production.”

Eddy, whose fellow Tory councillor Kevin Quarterly is also standing for re-election in May, said that the pair “are no narrow NIMBYs”.

“Three hundred and fifty new homes have been built in the ward in the last four years. We have to address Bristol’s housing crisis while trying to retain what makes areas like Bishopsworth special.”

75.6% of houses in Bishopsworth have three or more bedrooms compared to the Bristol average of 55.4% – photo: Martin Booth

Labour challengers Bianca Rossetti and Thomas Pearce are also both Bishopsworth residents

In a statement sent to Bristol24/7, they said: “Just because we’re a little less ‘urban’ up here, that doesn’t mean we should have less going on…

“Our area deserves more resources and opportunities for social interaction, particularly with us having a significant older population who will have been more likely to have spent a large part of the last year in isolation, and young people with few local options for recreation after school.

“We have pledged to push for extended access for the library… (and) we’ve also proposed measures to increase walking and cycling in the area.”

They added: “Bishopsworth also certainly isn’t immune to the housing crisis. Rent is unaffordable for those on a median income and there aren’t enough social homes or truly affordable homes for sale.

“Thanks to community union ACORN and the Labour-led council, tenants across the city do have better protections than they used to, but we’d push for proper rent controls and affordable repair, and retrofitting options for homeowners stuck in non-decent homes.”

The Cross Hands pub on Bridgwater Road was sold by Greene King to the Wring Group in 2019 – photo: Martin Booth

In November, Bishopsworth had one of the highest rates of Covid-19 in the UK, with even the Guardian paying a visit to find out why.

In the centre of Bishopsworth is Campus Pool, a concrete skatepark built within a former swimming pool. It remains closed due to the pandemic but is ready to reopen as soon as it can.

Campus Pool director Tim Nokes said that the area “has changed quite a lot” in recent years due to the arrival of young families – a good thing for their business.

“We love Bishopsworth,” he said. “The sense of community, people are really friendly and have been super warm and welcoming of our whole project.”

For Nokes, one of his specific challenges is what he calls “the Bristolian attitude of not wanting to travel too far around your city for your leisure time”, wanting to encourage more people to visit on the 75 or 76 bus.

Campus Pool is a concrete skatepark within a former swimming pool – photo: Martin Booth

Bishopsworth resident Stella Lewis, 32, who works in hospitality, says that the best thing about the area is that is “away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, so it’s nice to be somewhere that feels quiet (you can hear the birds in the morning), spacious and to able to see lots of green spaces like Manor Woods Valley“.

“When we first moved to Bishopsworth, we struggled with the lack of diversity in the area and the lack of cultural venues and spaces to do anything.

“There is Zion of course nearby and Campus skatepark, which are both great, but there aren’t any other hubs or places residents can go to engage with or experience things together, apart from the local convenience stores – so it can be a bit boring and also isolating.

“Bike theft is a well-known issue in the area. I’ve had my bike stolen before and the police pretty much said it happens a lot in this area. Air pollution is also a huge issue for us due to our close proximity to the airport.”

800 trees were recently planted in Manor Woods Valley as part of Bristol City Council’s One Tree Per Child project – photo: Martin Booth

Back on Yew Tree Farm, Catherine, despite living on a farm and sharing her bedroom with a piglet, says that she still feels “like a city person”.

Feeding Keith his milk out of a bright pink baby’s bottle, she said: “If you want to have a diverse city, let’s have an urban farm.”

Main photo: Martin Booth

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