Battle over future of Bearpit bear

Ursa the bear is a symbol of courage, creativity and Bristol’s independent spirit, according to those fighting to prevent her being removed from the Bearpit.

But others argue the black and white sculpture that stands over the troubled St James Barton roundabout in the city centre represents wider issues that have seen a rise in antisocial behaviour and turned the thoroughfare back into a “no go area”.

More than 4,100 people have pledged their support for a petition calling on the council to rethink its planned eviction of the much-loved 12ft bear that really symbolises a bigger debate around the future of the sunken space.

Ursa was created by sculptor Jamie Gillman in 2013

“Ursa is a public work of art funded by the Arts Council and organised by the Bearpit Improvement Group, and she has become an important symbol for Bristol,” said Caitlin Telfer, a former volunteer director of the now-disbanded Bearpit Improvement Group, who presented the petition at a full council meeting on Tuesday.

Calling on the council to save other structures in the Bearpit – including trading units, the bus and a storage container – she spoke about the work and vision of the Bearpit Improvement Group.

“This volunteer, cost-effective and bottom-up effort brought alternative change to a much-neglected public space,” said Telfer.

“The Bearpit, for a while, even became a cultural hot spot with people coming to see the experiment that was taking place.

“Since the council took back control, you have spent vast amounts of public money on ineffective anti-graffiti paint and removal of the alternative advertising board – the cube.

“The eyes on the street that once made the Bearpit welcoming have disappeared.

“It would seem that this council wishes to send out the message that community action will be thwarted and punished.”

She asked for clarification on who authorised the notices directing the Bearpit Improvement Group to remove Ursa and other structures.

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Read more: City Council demand removal of Bearpit’s bear sculpture

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Asher Craig, deputy mayor with responsibility for communities, argued that the experiment of handing control to the community group had failed, saying “sadly, the potential for a truly vibrant, and exciting space has gone unrealised”.

She continued: “For many years, the Bearpit was an unsafe, unwelcoming place that became a no-go area which most people in Bristol were, and are, frightened and unwilling to use.

“This was, and is, unacceptable anywhere in Bristol.

“While the Bearpit Improvement Group have been overseeing the space, there have been numerous robberies, countless attacks, the harassment of traders, regular open use of heroin, and the tragic deaths of homeless people taking spice.

“A 15-year-old boy was raped in the Bearpit, and, two women were slashed across the face by their pimp. The toilets were commandeered as a squat, then a drugs den, before an arson attack late last year.

“The Bearpit is still, clearly, an unsafe and unwelcoming place. The people of Bristol are still frightened and unwilling to use the Bearpit as a thoroughfare.

“Given this evidence and the ongoing concerns about the space, it is our responsibility as the elected council to address the matter. We should not be frightened to walk through this vital connecting space.”

The sculpture stands on top of the former men’s toilets

Speaking from the public gallery, Chris Chalkley of People’s Republic of Stokes Croft and formerly the Bearpit Improvement Group said: “Never in my darkest nightmares could I have imagined that I would be here to beg the council to desist from removing the community assets that have been put in that area over the last few years.”

Detailing the spike in crime in the Bearpit, Mark Runacres, of Avon and Somerset Police, stated that in the past 12 months, there have been 482 incidents and 144 reported crimes in the area, with 54 per cent of offences related to assaults and public disorder.

“This location has long been a high demand location for us,” he said.

“Reported issues include antisocial behaviour, public disorder, violence and begging – much of this is related to alcohol and drug use by street community who gather there.

“Responses to these incidents has taken more than 600 hours of police time and the Bearpit is the third highest demand for call outs for anti-social behaviour across the whole Avon and Somerset area.

“We have been frustrated by conflicting objectives of some stake holders and would ask them to support the effective policing of the area, clarity regarding control and a development plan for the area would be of great assistance to us.”

Resident Pete Bullard supported this statement, adding: “It’s an awful place to go anywhere near and the bear symbolises all the antisocial behaviour that is carried out there.”

Ursa was created by sculptor Jamie Gillman in 2013 and has risen to fame, featuring on the Bristol Pound notes, in the Watershed’s cinema trailer and voted one of the top four most popular sculptures in an online poll for the Naked Guide to Bristol guidebook in 2018.

Police say the Bearpit is the third highest demand for call outs for antisocial behaviour in the Avon and Somerset area

While Mark Brain, a Labour co-op councillor for Hartcliffe and Withywood, attracted boos from within the chamber for claiming most people don’t care about the bear and arguing the matter should not be up for debate, Tory and Green councillors voiced their support for the campaigners.

Green councillor for Clifton Paula O’Rourke said Ursa is “a symbol of courage in challenging times”.

Mark Wright, a Lib Dem councillor for Hotwells and Harbourside, said he supported the Labour administration in the decision to take back control of the Bearpit, but appealed for a compromise that would allow the bear to stay and be integrated into new plans for the area.

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Read more: Bearpit to be transformed into food innovation hub

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In her speech, Asher Craig also stood up to what she called a minority of extremists involved in the campaign, saying: “we will not be silenced by people whose sole purpose is to peddle fear.”

She concluded by saying: “This is not about crushing independent spirit or creativity. This is about transforming the Bearpit into a thriving and vibrant safe space for all the people of this city.

“If, as we continue to listen to the city, it becomes clear that there is overwhelming support for the bear staying, then I am sure that the owners will consider donating it to Bristol.

“I am committed to listening to all voices in the city who agree that the Bearpit has the potential to become a much safer, vibrant and welcoming gateway to the city.”

Speaking after the meeting, she clarified that – if donated to the city – the bear could be located somewhere other than the Bearpit.

Read more: What does the future hold for the Bearpit?