Tensions rise at one of the UK’s biggest van-dwelling sites

Plans to move one of the UK’s biggest van-dwelling communities are under way amid growing tensions with people who live nearby.

At least 60 caravans and vans are parked around Durdham Down, as a rising number of people can no longer afford Bristol’s rental prices. But some Clifton residents said there were problems with litter and human waste appearing at the beauty spot.

The rising cost of living is making the situation worse, with the number of people choosing to live in vans across the city up from 150 in 2020 to 680 in 2025.

Bristol City Council has announced proposals to create a permanent site for van-dwellers in another part of the city, which could be the first of its kind in the country.

Dave Knight, 60, moved into an old removal van on the Downs four years ago.

He said: “Work dropped off [and] I was short on money. I couldn’t afford the rent on my three-bedroom house in Dursley.”

Another person who decided that living in a vehicle is the best option is Jane, who said she adopted the lifestyle due to financial reasons.

“I’ve paid over £100,000 in rent and bills in my time,” she said. “I’m just paying someone else’s mortgage.

“The only thing that was happening with me financially was I was getting more into debt.”

A builder, who wished not to be named, lives in a caravan he bought for £500.

He told the BBC: “I ran out of money, I had nowhere to live. I was living in my car after they refused my application for a council home.

“I work, I’m always working. I build houses that I can’t afford to live in.”

On 26 March, so many people tried to attend a meeting on the issue that many were unable to get inside St Alban’s Church in Redland.

Organised by the Sneyd Park Residents Association, many took the chance to voice their opposition to the city council’s policy, which has so far been not to move the majority of those living in vans on the Downs.

Resident Sharon Scott said: “[As] local residents, we’re angry. We’re angry that the council hasn’t taken any action.

“The Downs was left to the people of Bristol. It’s a place of natural outstanding beauty and it no longer is.

“As a resident I don’t come to the Downs anymore. I see litter, we hear about the noise and the anti-social behaviour.”

Discussing the potential of moving, van-dweller Flora Sidebottom said she has been evicted nine times in the past year.

“Every eviction that I’ve been through causes trauma and mistrust around figures of authority and the ways in which you’re going to be worked with,” she said.

“It makes it harder to attend work [and] it causes negative impacts on mental and physical health and wellbeing.

“If you’re already having to source your wood and water, suddenly you’re having to think about where you’re going to go next, and you’re also trying to attend work and your relationships are under strain with the people around you.

“It feels like it’s coming in from all angles.”

The council has recognised the growing need to offer alternative housing and is now looking to find a permanent site for van-dwellers.

“It’s an example I think of the way that we’re really sort of pioneering in this area,” councillor Barry Parsons said.

“We’re looking to find long-term solutions for an issue that’s a challenge all across the country.”

He added lots of people living in vans have a “number of health vulnerabilities and mental health needs”.

Mr Parsons said that is why the council has decided to boost its outreach and support for people living in vans.