A stellar line-up of pioneers of street art have been brought together by DJ and street artist Goldie to paint a 200ft long wall at Ikea in Eastville, as a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the launch of the record label MetalHeadz, which is seen as pivotal in the development of drum n bass in Bristol and the rest of the country.(Image: Bristol Post)

The fragmented Bristol neighbourhood lacking a community space

by · BristolLive

With a huge green space and retail park on its doorstep, Eastville has a lot to offer. In addition, it has easy access to the outskirts of the city, is served by several bus routes and it's not too far from Bristol City Centre.

But for those who seek a local community where neighbours can easily connect and meet, Eastville does not seem to offer that. Stephanie Richmond moved to Eastville from Troopers Hill three years ago and has not yet found any local community in the area.

She lives on Fishponds Road and if she ignores the constant traffic on her doorstep, she can enjoy a pleasant view of Eastville Park from her bedroom window. Although the friendly mum-of-three loves living in the area, she has not got to know any neighbours, does not feel the area is safe enough to allow her children to play in the park unsupervised and has to drive to find an affordable toddler group for her grandson.

“It is a beautiful park and they have some great stuff going on but it could be so much better. The park run on a Saturday morning is set up so well, they could use it as a template to do more organised activities for the youth.

A tributary of the River Frome in Eastville Park.(Image: George Cook / Twitter: @george_cuckoo)

"My ten-year-old can cross roads but I won't let her go to the shop on her own. There was someone murdered down the road and there are knife amnesty bins. There is definitively no community here,” said Stephanie who is keen to become more active in her local area.

Although Friends of Eastville Park organise events in the Nissen Hut and have worked hard to get it refurbished in recent years, there is a lack of regular activities for children and young people. The group has been successful in creating regular groups for adults to meet alongside a food club on a Friday but it is not enough to meet the needs of the community.

Andrew Gee from Friends of Eastville Park, rennovating the Nissan hut(Image: Friends of Eastville Park)

Local ward councillor Lorraine Francis agrees that ‘there is a noticeable deficit for young people’ in the area and has been working on securing a new community space in the area outside the park. She plans on going public on the specific details once she receives confirmation from the building owners, which she hopes will be very soon.

Cllr Francis said: “I’m trying to identify a suitable building and would like to speak to businesses along Eastville to see if they can invest. Getting funding to work with the owners to make it viable. It would be a really good opportunity for the community.

Green Party candidate Lorraine Francis, who is standing in the Kingswood by-election, is a city councillor for Eastville(Image: Bristol Post / submitted)

“The friends [of Eastville Park] use their building actively but it’s not enough; the community needs an additional facility outside the park. Having a place where there could be different things going on and somewhere for young people to go that looks inviting would be valuable for the young people in the community.”

Traffic, litter and ‘nowhere to roll up for a coffee’

Cllr Francis is regularly contacted by residents concerned about traffic and litter. Stephanie, who witnessed a car accident outside her home last weekend, said that there are ‘loads of accidents’ on Fishponds Road which she thinks should have its speed limit reduced to 20 miles per hour.

Fishponds Road which begins in Eastville and ends in Fishponds suffers from congestion and unclear road markings. In Eastville there are a few takeaways and local shops but no neighbourhood cafes.

The road has suffered from unclear markings and Cllr Francis said she received confirmation three weeks ago that the work would finally be done to improve the main road cutting across Eastville. "Littering and fly-tipping is also a big issue in the area. I have spoken to a few people who want to improve the underpass,” added Cllr Francis.

The underpass which connects Eastville Park with the Eastgate Centre is often flooded. On October 24 the walkway was full of mud and litter.

“I spend my life picking up other people’s rubbish,” added Stephanie who is finding car drivers throwing their litter outside her house on their way back from the McDonald’s Drive Thru in Fishponds. The underpass under the roundabout and the M32 flyover get constantly flooded but are also subjected to constant fly-tipping. Due to repair works needed on the bridge and the roundabout subway cutting across several wards, fixing these issues needs major investment which requires more than a community-led initiative, according to the local councillor.

Stephanie Richmond lives with her family on Fishponds Road, opposite Eastville Park.

Like Stephanie, Pamela Nova who lives next to Eastville park tends to go to Fishponds or Easton if she wants to grab a hot beverage. While the neighbouring areas have an abundance of local cafes where the community can connect, other than the Eastgate Centre which caters to a much larger population, there is nowhere you can “just roll up for a coffee” added Cllr Francis.

“There is nothing, there’s no cafes or nothing. It’s really sad, it’s just a normal part of life just to meet a friend for a coffee - it’s like there’s no heart in the community, not even one,” explained Pamela.

Pamela with her cat(Image: katarzyna sowińska)

“The Nissen Hut is great but it can’t be open all the time and is completely run by volunteers so it’s difficult to set up a community cafe and really doesn’t have sufficient catering facilities. I organised a pop-up cafe there once but I couldn’t cook the food there because the kitchen was too small.

“It would be amazing if somebody could set up a small neighbourhood cafe near the park. It’s difficult to have a community without an actual cafe which would naturally be a hub, " she added.