Turbo Island is no more End for a controversial Bristol institution
ONE of Bristol’s most notorious spots has been radically changed, with the owners of the land saying they want to create a ‘more welcoming space.’
In the end, all it took to apparently transform Turbo Island into just another bit of public space was a layer of tarmac and some bike racks.
But there are reports that there have already been attempts to light fires on the spot that became, for some, an iconic representation of counter-culture Bristol, and for others a lawless and dangerous focal point for anti-social behaviour.
The end result of a week or so of work by contractors hired by Turbo Island’s owners – London advertising property firm Wildstone – has rendered Turbo Island a very different environment from how it was just last month. Gone is the bare earth ground, smouldering fires and old sofas and chairs, and in has come tarmac, a bike rack and an attempt at normalising what for many was a very different sort of place.
Half the land on the inside corner of Stokes Croft and Jamaica Street in Kingsdown is owned by Wildstone – the latest in a succession of owners who, until this year, were content to leave the land alone, as long as nothing got in the way of the two advertising billboards facing the southbound traffic on the A38.
Because it was privately owned and therefore outside the control of any council street drinking bans, on a main road and at the centre of an area of Bristol with a number of addiction and homelessness support centres and hostels, it became a focal point for street drinkers and, on many a weekend night, street parties, sound systems and impromptu raves, acquiring a reputation in Bristol and beyond over the past few decades.
This year, local MP Thangam
Debbonaire called a summit meeting of all the local authorities and the landowner, after a number of fires got out of control on the spot. The result was an order from the council to Wildstone to properly maintain the land, and a commitment from the council to clear it. Wildstone’s contractors moved in last week to tarmac the site in the hope that bonfires might be less likely or practical on that surface.
But the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft, which launched a fundraiser before the pandemic to try to buy the land, said it doubted a bit of tarmac would make much difference, and even while the work was going on, some people had got onto the space and lit a fire. “Suggesting that the current works will affect much beyond the ash blowing over the street seems like wishful thinking. It’s going to be different, but we can still shape that. We can repair the graffiti wall, and if there’s appetite re-paint the mural. Maybe we can put in planters? Actual benches?”
The London property company that own the land known as ‘Turbo Island’ in Stokes Croft has said it wants to work with the council and the community to make it a ‘more welcoming space.’ Wildstone’s Philip Allard said the company were keen to work with the local community to see if anything more could be done.
He said: “We hope this will significantly improve the appearance of the site and make it more attractive. However, wider social issues that have affected the site in the past are beyond our control.
“We are continuing to work closely with Bristol City Council’s Neighbourhood Team and other agencies including the Police and Fire Brigade on the project. We are also engaging with the local community and businesses.”