Furious neighbours have lashed out at a Green council's plans to allow van dwellers at an unauthorised site to stay legally, on the doorstep of £350,000 newbuild homes. The site in Bristol is currently occupied by van dwellers without authorisation, and neighbours have labelled it a 'nightmare'.
Council's Proposal for a Managed Site
Bristol City Council, which has been run by the Green Party since 2024, now wants to convert the plot into an official 'meanwhile site' for more of its controversial van dweller community. This is a temporary, managed space where vehicle dwellers can stay legally, with access to water, toilets and waste disposal. Last week the authority ordered hundreds to leave the affluent Clifton area, offering some places at 'meanwhile sites'. Under the proposals, residents would need to apply for a pitch, sign a site licence and pay weekly fees to cover site management, in addition to council tax.
Residents' Fury and Concerns
But the plans to turn a site on Lanercost Road in Southmead into a managed space for people living in vehicles have provoked fury. Some residents have questioned what they see as a contrast between enforcement action in more affluent areas and the proposal for a managed site in Southmead. The plot on Lanercost Road, currently occupied by van dwellers without authorisation, has become a source of unease in the community.
Neighbours have labelled the site a 'nightmare', complaining of their children being woken in the night, packages for van dwellers being delivered to their addresses and takeaways arriving at all hours. Residents nearby say they have 'lost their life savings' by buying homes next to the plot.
Ronda Golding, 53, who has lived in the area her whole life, said: 'I think it's disgusting. The council don't care about our views on anything. I have sent over 100 emails, and not one has been responded to - the council are glorifying van dwelling.'
Joel Rodolpho, 54, who works at Southmead Hospital alongside his wife, has been driven to consider moving away, though he worries about the effect on his house value. He described his young son being woken in the night, packages for van dwellers being delivered to his address and takeaways arriving at all hours. Mr Rodolpho said the prospect of a legal meanwhile site is a 'nightmare'.
Another resident, who asked not to be named, said she feels she has lost her life savings after buying her home next to the site. She said: 'How are they going to prove anti-social behaviour? It's literally right next to a house without any real barrier. I feel really uncomfortable. I think that everyone has to have a place to live, but maybe they can put that outside a residential area.'
Council's Defence and Plans
In response, the council's chair of the homes and housing delivery committee, Barry Parsons, said meanwhile sites provide stability and support, with fewer issues than unauthorised encampments due to proper management. The Southmead proposal is one of several meanwhile sites planned across the city, alongside locations at Tramway Road in Brislington, Western Drive and Albatross Road in Hengrove, and land formerly used as Whitchurch Sports Centre.
At the same time, van dwellers are unable to live on more roads around the Downs after Bristol City Council was granted an extension to an anti-social behaviour injunction. Some Southmead residents have questioned what they see as a contrast between enforcement action in more affluent areas and the proposal for a managed site in Southmead.
One anonymous objector said the plan seems like a 'deceptive move to relocate van dwellers from the Downs in richer, more affluent areas of Bristol to poorer areas in Bristol, such as Southmead'. Another asked: 'Why was Lanercost chosen? Because it is primarily social housing, so nobody cares.'
Objections and Support
In total, the planning application has received dozens of objections and two supporting comments from locals. Some residents have raised concerns about how the site was first occupied. Ms Golding said van dwellers told her they had been encouraged to move onto the land ahead of a formal application, although there is no official evidence for this and the council has not confirmed it. On a recent visit the gate to the site was locked and occupants could not be reached for comment.
Labour councillors for Southmead, Kaz Self and Kye Dudd, said the situation has damaged trust. In a joint statement, they told Bristol24/7: 'The council has burnt through a lot of residents' goodwill by refusing to take their concerns about the unlawful encampment seriously and looking like it had encouraged the van dwellers to go there in the first place.'
They also described the council's decision to take legal action while simultaneously applying for a meanwhile site on the same land as 'quite a bizarre contradiction' and acknowledged that some residents felt the consultation period, which fell over Christmas, limited engagement.
However, Mr Parsons defended the meanwhile site programme, saying the sites 'play a vital role in offering security, access to basic amenities and a sense of stability for people who have spent long periods living roadside'. On Lanercost Road, Mr Parsons said council officers had met with the group several times 'to carry out welfare checks and discuss alternative options' and that legal action had been taken only as 'a last resort'.
He added that meanwhile sites operate very differently to unauthorised encampments, and that 'neighbours have reported very few issues with official sites once open... largely because there is a regular presence on site, clear management and licensing rules'.
The planning application is currently at the recommendation stage. Mr Parsons said: 'Over the past year, we have been working hard to increase the number of safe, managed meanwhile sites for people living in vehicles. These sites play a vital role in offering security, access to basic amenities, and a sense of stability for residents who have often spent long periods living roadside.'
'Every pitch created is more than a number. It represents a safer place for someone to live, with access to basic facilities and hopefully a pathway to more settled housing in the future. Meanwhile sites are not a permanent solution, but they provide stability and safety - things everyone deserves.'
'The group occupying the land at Lanercost Road have been part of an unauthorised encampment for some time. Council officers have met with the group on a number of occasions to carry out welfare checks and discuss alternative options. As the group have remained on site, we have been forced to take legal action - something which we always consider to be a last resort.'
'This action is ongoing and we are returning to court later this month to continue our current possession action for the Lanercost site. Plans have been submitted to turn this area of land into an authorised meanwhile site, which would be managed by the council, with occupants signing a licence and agreeing to the rules of the site.'
'The formal process has been followed, and local residents have been given the opportunity to submit objections. The application has been called in for the planning committee to consider, which will give people another opportunity to raise issues by submitting a statement or question.'
'Meanwhile sites are very different to unauthorised encampments, and neighbours have reported very few issues with official sites once open. This is largely because there is a regular presence on site, clear management and licensing rules. We are committed to providing meanwhile sites across the city using a fair and equitable approach, but currently the availability of suitable land remains a major constraint.'
