News / Turbo Island
Turbo Island could become protected ‘village green’
An infamous plot of land in Bristol could soon be protected from development as a “town or village green”.
The future of Turbo Island hangs in the balance as Bristol City Council is about to decide whether to protect the symbolic corner in Stokes Croft from any plans to build there.
The small plot of land sits on the corner of Stokes Croft and Jamaica Street and was formerly owned by an advertising company.
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Wildstone sold the plot in October last year to a mystery local buyer for £100,000, shortly before an auction was due to take place.
Councillors on the public rights of way and greens committee will consider the application on Thursday, January 16.
A committee report said: “The Commons Registration Authority has one current application, which is land at 72 Stokes Croft, Bristol, known locally as ‘Turbo Island’.”
To qualify as a town green, Turbo Island has to pass legal tests including that the land has been used “for lawful sports and pastimes”, and by a “significant number” of people living in the area.
Revellers and street drinkers can often be found sitting around a bonfire on the island.
Normal recreational activities, according to the report, include “walking, dog walking, children’s play, and ball and other games”.
However, the scope of what counts as a lawful pastime is wide, and might include the spontaneous sound-systems and impromptu parties that pop up every now and then.
Anybody can apply to register land as a town or village green, and applications are often disputed by the landowner, who might wish to build on the land or restrict access to the public.
Two recent examples in Bristol are the long-standing row over Stoke Lodge playing fields, as well as a picnic spot in Henleaze that was threatened by a plan to build a house there.
The mystery buyer who purchased Turbo Island last year might want to build on the plot of land, and could dispute the town green application.
If councillors decide to accept the application and register the island as a town green, that would prevent the buyer from building anything there.
Thangam Debbonaire standing upon Turbo Island after it was coated in tarmac and had a bike rack installed – photo: Thangam Debbonaire
Previous efforts to clean up the plot of land have proved short-lived.
In 2022, Thangam Debbonaire, former Labour MP for Bristol West, triumphantly posed for photos in front of Turbo Island, declaring that she had “tried to end the fires and anti-social behaviour there”, after a new layer of tarmac was laid over the land.
However, the bonfires and revellers promptly returned.
Writing on X, she said: “Over the last few months, I have worked with the landowner and Bristol City Council to try to end the fires and anti-social behaviour at Turbo Island.
“Many residents and businesses had written to me about how this was affecting them.
“I was pleased to visit the site recently and see the improvements that have been made to the infamous spot.
I will keep pushing councillors, the council, police, local businesses and fire services to ensure that it stays that way.”
Main photo: Alex Seabrook
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