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City council demand removal of Bearpit’s bear sculpture
Made from recycled timber from the hoardings surrounding a luxury housing development, a 12-foot high sculpture of a bear has been a prominent symbol of the Bearpit since being erected five years ago.
But Bristol City Council has now issued legal notices demanding that the bear, called Ursa and built by artist Jamie Gillman, be removed by mid-January.
Unveiled by then-mayor George Ferguson in 2013, Ursa stands on top of the former gents’ toilets and was built with the aid of a grant from Arts Council England.
is needed now More than ever
The news comes as the city council aim to take back control of the sunken St James Barton roundabout, with a cube close to the bear removed by Bristol Waste in May.
“Part of the council taking control means that the area will no longer be designated a community action zone and the community group will not be in charge of the space,” said deputy mayor Asher Craig.
“We have ended the operating licenses of the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft and Bearpit Improvement Group and have asked them to responsibly recover all of their remaining possessions in the area to allow us to fully regenerate this space.”
The council legal notices also demand the removal of the storage containers in the Bearpit housing market equipment, art supplies and gardening tools; and a performance area.
The sculpture stands on top of the former men’s toilets
A petition has been launched calling on the council to halt their legal threat to remove the sculpture.
“We hope that the people of Bristol will agree that Ursa must be saved,” said petition organiser Caitlin Telfer from Stokes Croft.
“Ursa bring smiles to our faces, she represents creativity, alternative thinking and freedom of expression. She represents community and what public space should be.
“Ursa is a visible symbol of bottom-up, community-led action, a symbol of alternative thinking, a symbol of positive change.”
Read more: ‘We all need to support the Bearpit and its wider aims’
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