A neighbourhood association in Totterdown which has been attempting to raise funds for community facilities on a plot of land left vacant since the 1970s, has been notified that it has finally been awarded money for the project after decades of setbacks.
Situated off Wells Road and sandwiched between Highgrove Street and Firfield Street, Zone A is a patch of land that was created in the 1970s as part of Bristol City Council's plans for a ring road. Large swathes of Totterdown, including 650 homes and 100 businesses, were purchased and demolished to accommodate the ring road, leaving 3,500 people evicted from the area.
However, by 1973 economic depression had set in. Although some sections of the road, such as the M32 and the Easton Way, were completed, the project was eventually abandoned, leaving Totterdown fractured and in ruins.
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Over the decades, much of the land has been redeveloped, but Zone A remained as an informal car park and dumping ground until, in 1992, The Totterdown Area Community Association (TACA) approached the City to acquire the land for community use as compensation for the loss of its 11 pubs, six social spaces and church halls. Although when the city gifted the pocket of land to TACA, a registered charity, the intention was to build a community centre, no funding was provided and the site remained empty but, nonetheless, well-used by residents.
After decades of delay, Vera Harhat, the current chair of TACA, credits keeping their plans small and manageable so that future generations can easily become custodians of the land as key to the progress the organisation has made recently.
Ms Harhat said: “We applied for neighbourhood and committee funding, which is when developers who are building [in an area] put a certain amount of money in the pot for things like communities, groups, etc. We haven't yet had the final agreement to sign, but we've now been told that we've been successful.”
The group is set to receive £7,400, which it is hoping to use to finally realise the ambitions of residents decades ago to provide a community space, albeit an “alternative” outdoor one. All being well, Ms Harhat anticipates that work will be underway this autumn.
Of the prospective plans, Ms Harhat says the group is considering different designs, but one aspect is likely to be a storage or shipping container-like structure on the hard standing behind the grass, which could be used as a ticket office for events, a space to serve refreshments, and an education and exhibition space, powered by a generator. It will also house The Museum of Totterdown, a vast archive of social history helmed by TACA vice chair John O'Connor.
The group is also evaluating putting a covered wooden or metal structure on the grassland that could act as a small stage area for acoustic music, poetry performances or just somewhere to sit and keep dry in the rain. With stunning views across the city, Zone A is a pleasant spot to enjoy a moment of quiet contemplation sitting on its solitary bench or on the mosaic mandala that commemorates the loss to the community caused by the demolition and speaks to the DIY attitude that the neighbourhood was forced to adopt.
Ms Harhat is passionate about preserving and using the space so that it can remain an asset to the community for decades to come. She said: “When I came to Totterdown eight and a half years ago, I was always drawn to it, I knew the story, and it's a really special place, and even though it's just off the main road, there's something really magical about it.”
She is keen to encourage new members to get involved with the newly reconvened TACA so that as many people as possible can share their opinions on the forthcoming plans. The group will be holding an event called 'Spring Forward' on March 26, after the clocks go back, and are inviting people to come to Zone A and help with a bit of gardening and enjoy some refreshments.
Mr O'Connor said that they feel it's important to raise awareness of the project so that residents will feel able to use the space for their own projects. He said that although it's not the "all singing, all dancing" community centre that was originally planned, it will be "just be enough to empower people to come up with their own stuff and make stuff happen."
Anyone interested in learning more about Zone A, joining TACA or donating their time and skills to the project can find out more at the Zone A Facebook page.
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