Community of van dwellers resist eviction in Eastville

A community of van dwellers living beside a green space in east Bristol have been given a week’s notice to move their homes elsewhere, or otherwise face legal action.

On Tuesday 19, notices from Bristol City Council were sellotaped to every vehicle parked on Greenbank View, a road sandwiched in the middle of cemetery in Eastville. The ‘direction to leave’ demanded occupants leave the land along with any property by Tuesday 26.

The notice comes after the council told the community to settle on the road as it was deemed ‘suitable’ due to its distance from housing and wide berth, according to the group.

In the face of imminent eviction, the residents of Greenbank View have launched a petition asking they be allowed to stay put. The online campaign, which has reached nearly 1000 signatures, was organised by Juliet Mur, a van dweller.

Propped up against one caravan was a placard displaying the ‘direction to leave’ notice from the council and urges for people to sign the petition – photo: Betty Woolerton

“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,” wrote Mur.

The petition continued: “We want to challenge this eviction. 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 breakdown of our community also means the more vulnerable members will be faced with greater risk, by parking up on streets alone, such as solo women. The solution of moving us will be short term and undoubtedly followed by people returning, who could potentially be less peaceful.”

‘It’s our home and yours too’ – photo: Betty Woolerton

The council have the power to move van dwellers on through an enforcement policy aimed at people living in mobile homes in Bristol. Coming into play in 2019, the policy gives the council permission to evict van dwellers without the need for special court injunctions.

While van dwellers have generally existed peacefully alongside residents in the Easton neighbourhood over the years, in May 2018 the community faced eviction due to reports of anti social behaviour.  At the time, there were over 50 vehicles settled in the area.

Four years later, there are just over a dozen caravans, vans and cars parked on Greenbank View – some of which have been forced to join the kerbside community as the cost of living continues to rise.

It is legal to live in a vehicle as long as it is taxed and has a valid MOT – photo: Betty Woolerton

One van dweller at the site, who wished to remain anonymous, told Bristol24/7 van dwelling is not just a lifestyle choice – for some, it’s a necessity.

She said: “It is incredibly liberating, in many ways, to have agency over where you live. Friends of mine that are renting spend all of their wages on renting in Bristol. When you’re able to travel and move around, you get some flexibility and ownership over your money your wages that we’re working really hard for.”

She added that living in vehicles “build communities”.

“I’d be lonely, I think, if I lived in a flat. Here, I’ve got friends that live next to me and we can knock on each other’s doors and come in for coffee and tea in the morning,” the van dweller explained.

“We do understand that some people don’t understand this lifestyle. But at the end of the day, people have been living like this for hundreds of years – it’s not a new thing. It just maybe doesn’t fit in with people’s worldview.”

Charred caravan remains in Greenbank after the community was hit with arson attacks four years ago – photo: Ellie Pipe

A Bristol City Council spokesperson told Bristol Live: “The council has a duty of care to everyone living in the city, and we have to balance the needs of those living in vehicles with those of the local residents.”

“Since November 2021 we have seen a steady increase in the number of occupied vehicles on Greenbank View, Eastville, increasing from three to around 25 vehicles parked up there. 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.”

They added: “In line with our vehicle dwelling encampment policy, which was adopted in 2019, we visited Greenbank view last month and spoke with everyone who was at their vehicle. Everyone was offered access to one of our meanwhile sites, but no one took up the offer. We left details about our sites on any vehicles that were empty during our visit.

“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.”

Main photo: Betty Woolerton

Read more: Fears new bill could ‘eliminate’ Bristol’s van dwelling community

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