The debate over ownership of the Downs has come back into the spotlight recently.
It is owned by the Society of Merchant Venturers, an ancient trading organisation in Bristol, which - along with Bristol City Council which owns the other half - sits on the statutory committee that manages The Downs.
Now, more than a century and a half after the Downs Committee was established by a Victorian act of Parliament, pressure group Downs for People has said it is time for the Merchant Venturers to give Clifton Down to the city of Bristol and for their removal from the committee.
READ MORE: Young dad's blurry vision turned out to be aggressive brain tumour
They say the Merchant Venturers have been “exercising power without responsibility for too long”, having a 50 per cent say in how the Downs are run but no obligation to pay for any of it.
But Master Merchant David Freed has defended the society saying its members originally bought Clifton Down to protect it from housebuilding and get "absolutely no benefit" from their continued involvement.
He said there were no plans for the organisation to hand over control and added: “The Merchants put a great deal of time and effort into the Downs, care about it deeply, and gain absolutely no benefit from their involvement.
“There’s a very positive collaborative relationship with the councillors on the committee, who I believe find our involvement very beneficial.”
The Downs Act 1861 requires the Merchant Venturers and Bristol City Council, which owns Durdham Down, to contribute seven members each to the Downs Committee, including the Lord Mayor of Bristol who acts as the chair and the Master Merchant who holds the role of vice-chair.
The committee is bound by the act to keep the Downs “for the public resort and recreation of the citizens and inhabitants of Bristol”.
It makes the money it needs to manage the Downs by renting out space on the land for events, but the council underwrites any debt.
And while some in the city support the idea of removing the Merchants from any decision making around Clifton Down, there are others against the plans.
A letter published in the Bristol post on Tuesday, February 1, from Bristol resident Alan Lipton, called the idea “daft”.
Here is his letter in full:
"The idea that The Downs should be gifted to Bristol City Council because some pressure group thinks it is a good idea is just daft.
"There is a simple, fatal flaw in their ‘argument’, and it is this: The Downs is protected and is for the use and enjoyment of the people of Bristol. Anyone can go there and enjoy it.
"Had the Society of Merchant Venturers been greedy profiteers they could have flogged off some of the land for housing and made a mint. But they didn’t. It is there for all the people of Bristol, including the campaigners, to enjoy.
Click here if you cannot see the survey
"Were The Downs to become council land, the city council would soon be under pressure to sell off its assets to raise money – and land in Clifton and around would be very expensive and so raise a lot.
"The fact is that The Downs are best off well away from the city council. In my opinion, the angry campaigners are misinformed and seek to hide their true desire, which is to build lots of homes there because some of them feel that South Bristol (which has a chronic housing shortage) has too many new homes being built.
"That is, I believe, the real, hidden motive of these people. They don’t want to protect The Downs, they want to flog it off.
"If you really want to keep The Downs for the enjoyment of the people, then you will want to leave it how it is. Things are working just fine at the moment and there is no need for change. No rational person would change things and put this cherished public space at risk.
"This idea is a dog that will not run. Keep The Downs for the people!"
What do you think? Sign in and join the conversations in the comments below
