Centre accused of ‘callous’ tactic to keep out homeless
ASHOPPING centre accused of using a “callous” tactic to keep out the homeless has defended its new fencing.
Two sheltered alcoves along the Fairfax Street tunnel in Bristol, beneath The Galleries, have been sealed off with metal barriers.
Will Poole said he was “horrified” to notice the new fencing this week, just days after he saw rough sleepers seeking refuge there with tents.
The centre’s boss said the “essential” measure was taken following advice from police, after people used drugs there and left human waste to “leak into the premises”.
Will tweeted: “Riding under @galleriesBRI on my way home this evening I cast a glance to where a few homeless people had been sleeping recently, and was horrified to see a shiny new fence.
“With the prospect of more people becoming homeless as this country spirals further from a ‘land of hope and glory’, removing one of only a few covered areas where less fortunate people have been able to
shelter is a callous, inhuman act, particularly when so little was at stake.”
The tunnel runs parallel to Newgate, next to Castle Park, and is also where the services entrance is for the shopping centre. It is lit, dry and sheltered, and also provides stairwell access to the shopping centre’s car park.
The fences block off two spaces at either end of the tunnel, where the pavement previously widened into recessed corners.
David Wait, centre manager
at The Galleries, said: “Following advice from the police, fencing has been installed following the mis-use of the land for antisocial behaviour, namely drug taking.
“The area was also being soiled with human waste, which leaked into the premises causing issues for our tenants.
“These essential measures are in place to ensure the continued health and safety of our staff and occupiers.”
In response, Will said he still felt there could have been a “more compassionate” alternative.
So-called ‘hostile’ or ‘defensive’ architecture is used by some local authorities and developers to deter antisocial groups and rough sleepers, and barring or fencing off corners is just one example.
In 2018 a tanning salon in Broadmead faced a backlash after installing sprinklers to discourage rough sleeping outside.
Placing arm rests in the middle of benches is another example of hostile architecture, to prevent people from being able to lie down on them, and likewise using slanted benches with a very narrow width.
The use of spikes on the ground and in doorways has also attracted controversy, making it too uncomfortable for people to bed down there.
In a Commons briefing paper last year, Jon Sparkes, the chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis, said hostile architecture is an “insidious measure”.
He said: “People who are forced to sleep rough need access to the appropriate help, not to be regarded as a problem to be swept under the carpet.”