Life choice with kerb appeal

Alex Ross speaks to those living in vehicles on The Downs in Bristol as angry residents petition to have them removed

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It's a warm, humid weekday afternoon in northwest Bristol.

As steam rises from the brown grass on the historic Durdham Down after a brief downpour, the 12-sided concrete water tower comes into view, followed by Georgian shops at the summit of Whiteladies Road.

Around the huge parkland are the wealthy suburbs of Stoke Bishop, Redland and Sneyd Park, where many families have worked hard to afford homes that today command seven-figure price tags.

Joggers plod the well-trodden perimeter paths that lead them to the western edge of the park, where the cliff edge gives views over the River Avon and Isambard Brunel’s famous Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Steeped in history, the area, known locally as “The Downs”, was long used as common land for grazing before, in 1861, it became part of the Victorian craze for park creation, with an act established for it to be a place of “public resort and recreation”.

But today, more than 160 years on, it’s not football or kite-flying that’s making this park famous - it’s dozens of caravans and vans.

The rising number of vehicles and caravans on the roads that dissect the parkland has led some to dub the area “caravan city”, with tensions mounting between homeowners and van dwellers. The council, it appears, is stuck between the two.

The issue on The Downs represents a growing problem in a city with a housing crisis, with latest council estimates of between 640 to 680 lived-in vehicles and caravans.

Now, city leaders, faced with concerns over antisocial behaviour and crime, are taking action. Bosses are currently busy drawing up a policy to balance support for vehicle dwellers with the demands from the local community.