News / Environment
MetroBus tree-top protest continues
The tree-top protest against MetroBus in Stapleton continues into its third day.
Pressure group Rising up say they have been “overwhelmed by the positive response and gratitude shown by the local and wider community”.
An unknown number of protesters spent a second night in a tree-top canopy on the Frenchay Park Road site, which is leased from Bristol City Council by Avon Wildlife Trust. The trust runs the Feed Bristol project from the land.
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Protesters have now scaled several trees on the land and erected tree-top canopies.
The group wants to save them from being cut down on council-owned land at Stapleton Allotments for segregated lanes for the Metrobus scheme.
Bailiffs and police have been on site and have erected a steel fence around the perimeter of the land which was due to be cleared this week.
In a statement Rising-up said: “Due to the presence of people in the trees and on the ground this has been disrupted.
“On Monday approximately 100 people, including families, children and elderly people from the local community visited the site. Many of these expressed their support and thanks offering donations of food and provisions.”
The Metrobus scheme has been designed to get more people using public transport and cut journey times. It involves three routes across the city which all have planning approval. The routes are Ashton Vale to Temple Meads, Cribbs Causeway via Emersons Green to the city centre and South Bristol link between the A370 Long Ashton bypass and Hengrove Park.
In a statement released on Monday Bristol City Council said “Contractors working for Bristol City Council have started work on the reconfiguration of Stapleton Allotments.
“The affected allotments plots are being relocated to make way for a new bus-only junction as part of the MetroBus project.”
It added that “seven new trees within the reconfigured allotment site” would also be planted.
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