Furious residents have accused van dwellers of turning their seaside town into an ‘unregulated campsite’ after a council allowed them to pitch up for months on end.
Homeowners living on a clifftop road near a beauty spot have claimed that they are being ‘totally gaslit’ by their council after repeatedly asking officials to take action.
They say dozens of motorhomes and camper vans have blighted Boscombe and Southbourne, a suburb in Bournemouth, with anti-social behaviour.Â
Residents claim van owners have blocked pavements with awnings and chairs while drivers struggle to see properly as they pull out of side roads.
They also claim a children’s park is unusable due to human faeces being allegedly dumped by the van dwellers.
Despite the raft of complaints, locals claim Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) council continues to deny that there is a problem.
A recent residents’ meeting saw more than 100 people attend to vent their anger towards authorities.
More than 1,600 signatures have been gathered by a petition calling on the authorities to carry out proper enforcement and introduce restrictions to prevent overnight parking at the location.
Motorhomes have been parking on the clifftop road near a beauty spot in Bournemouth, Dorset
Southbourne residents have accused vans of turning the area into an ‘unregulated campsite’
A tongue-in-cheek banner has been put up by angry residents following a lack of action by the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) council
Kate Turner, a nearby resident, said they have reported so many issues to the council but each time they are told there is no problem.
Tensions came to a head earlier this month during a council meeting which she called a ‘complete farce’.
Officials had carried out a ‘Van Life Listening Enquiry’ to establish the needs of the van dwellers.
The public survey received only 16 responses and the first listening session attracted just five people.
But Ms Turner claimed the Liberal Democrat-run council is using that data to determine what to do going forward.
She said: ‘The residents are pretty fed up of having to prove there is an issue.
‘We send report after report in and the council keeps telling us there isn’t a problem. We are being totally gaslit as they have it on public record that there is a problem.
‘Our main concern is that what is going on is not safe. Shelley Park play area is not fit for children to play. Clothes lines have been set up, fires of burnt rubbish and even toilets left behind.’
Ms Turner said the vans are an ‘accident waiting to happen’, saying they are a ‘fire risk’ due to their close proximity to one another.
She explained that the issue first began when the council changed parking restrictions on the clifftop road in 2019.
Despite having known about the issue ‘for years’ since the council has yet to act, claims Ms Turner.
A notice from the council has warned people not to use dog litter bins for human waste
A van is parked on the road with a trolley carrying camping supplies and wood for a fire
Piles of litter have been found on paths and verges near the motorhomes and caravans
‘Now the sheer volume that is parking up is untenable,’ Ms Turner added.
‘They have stabilisers and steps out, park on the kerbs and block the pavements, some put chairs out to stop people from parking near them.
‘A lot are not taxed, even the expensive ones.
‘Support and enforcement are not mutually exclusive. The council can offer assistance to a vulnerable person while simultaneously enforcing restrictions and addressing unsafe or anti-social conduct.
‘BCP has totally let residents and the people who use Shelley Park and the Overcliff down. It is also letting down vulnerable people who are being left to live in vehicles beside a busy road.
‘It is however, favouring people who want to pull up, camp for free and use the area as their dumping ground.
‘The problem has been documented by BCP for years, yet the council continues to spend money reacting to it through repeated clean-ups and meetings that get nowhere.’
Dr Alan McBride, who jointly chairs the residents’ group, said: ‘BCP has allowed Boscombe Overcliff Drive and the surrounding roads to become an unofficial campsite, despite the location being completely unsuitable because of the health and safety, fire and sanitation risks.
‘When we asked BCP to respond to these specific concerns, the reply was disappointing and dismissive.
‘BCP appears to be giving greater weight to the views of five vehicle dwellers than to those of more than 1,500 residents who signed the petition and live with the consequences.
‘We need a consistent Traffic Regulation Order covering the whole of the Overcliff and all the surrounding roads.’Â
The residents claim van owners have blocked pavements with awnings and chairs while drivers struggle to see sight lines as they pull out of side roads
A drumkit and microphone block a pavement on the road in Southbourne, Bournemouth
A portable toilet was spotted on the pavement, having been dumped by the side of the road
Jonathan Porter added: ‘This is not about who owns or occupies the vehicles. It is about whether prolonged camping is appropriate in a location without the facilities and safeguards expected of a proper campsite.’
Jo Keeling, a former police officer turned community campaigner, said: ‘This is not about preventing responsible camper van owners from visiting our coast. It is about the difference between visiting an area and treating a public highway as an indefinite, unmanaged campsite.
‘BCP officers confirmed in March that an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order could be introduced within weeks.
‘Options included restricting appropriate bays to cars and motorcycles or introducing overnight parking controls. The council has identified possible solutions, what residents need to know is why nothing has happened.
‘They are not asking for the impossible. They want safe roads, clean public spaces and sensible parking controls. BCP must stop discussing this problem indefinitely and start managing it.’
BCP council has been approached for a response to the claims made by the local residents.
But Richard Herrett, BCP council’s Portfolio Holder for Destination, Leisure and Commercial Operations, said previously: ‘We understand residents’ concerns about the presence of caravans and motorhomes in the Southbourne area.
‘Our goal is to ensure any future decisions on parking restrictions reflect residents’ views, support the local economy, and keep our coastline welcoming and accessible for everyone.
‘We are also considering a community pact across the BCP seafront that would establish designated safe parking areas with access to basic amenities for van dwellers so that all our residents can live safely and healthily.’
