Today we chat to Callum, a van dweller who is a maths tutor. Bristol city council has now offered an eviction notice to those living in vans and caravans on his road. The enforcement notice has been stuck to a number of caravans and vehicles on the one-way section of Parry’s Lane which cuts through Durdham Down from the A4018 to Saville Road.
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00:00This is, you know, this is everything I own. This is my whole world. This is my house.
00:04This is my pride and joy. Everything I own is in this van.
00:07So behind me are many of these caravans that have been here for many months
00:12and have recently been offered an eviction notice to leave the premises within 14 days.
00:20I live full-time in this vehicle. I was living in Bristol in 2019.
00:27I was working quite hard to pay rent. My rent in this shared house, including bills,
00:32was about £900 a month, which is extortionate. I was working quite hard to kind of keep up.
00:39I got burnt out and then I got glandular fever and was quite ill, quite poorly.
00:46And to be honest with you, I'd like to be in a house. I'd prefer to be in a house.
00:50I'd like to, because if you live in a vehicle, you're in a very small space.
00:55I mean, look at it. I'm in this tiny space. I can barely do yoga in here.
01:02You know, I'd like to be in a house, but I just can't afford it.
01:07An enforcement notice has been handed out to a number of caravans
01:11and vehicles on the one-way section of Parry's Lane.
01:15Like, I get rid of my waste, my rubbish. I've got an agreement with a local farm
01:22that composts my waste. You're in a cramped space. You face hostility.
01:27You could get moved on at any moment. It's not a very sort of secure way of living.
01:32But, you know, it's the only way that I can live responsibly,
01:39ever being able to contribute money to my pension.
01:41The notice says that the encampment has reassessed as high impact
01:46due to the proximity to residential properties,
01:49the inappropriate disposal of human and general waste,
01:53its size and concentration and its nature, suitability or obtrusiveness.