The final bus gate which creates the 'East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood' was installed on Friday morning (May 11), by council contractors who arrived at 6am and quickly put planters and signs in place.

The scheme divides up the roads of Barton Hill, Lawrence Hill, Redfield and the western end of St George, into a series of zones - effectively large networks of streets that are self-contained for drivers of motor vehicles. Anyone wanting to drive from one zone to another has to leave it, travel along a main road around the edge of the Liveable Neighbourhood area and enter the residential streets from a different place.

The council contractors arrived at dawn on Friday, as they had done several times in the past month, to minimise the disruption caused by local residents in Barton Hill who have physically put themselves in the way of contractors doing the installation, in a bid to try to stop it. That has delayed the start of the six month trial by almost six months in itself. Work began back in October but had to be halted several times, and the six month trial period won't begin until everything is in place.

Here, Barton House resident Fadumo Farah, who has been at the forefront of this residents' disruption, explains why she has disrupted the installation several times, and her thoughts now the Liveable Neighbourhood installation is complete:

The Liveable Neighbourhood scheme was officially completed on Friday morning in Barton Hill, and while its goals may have been well-intended, many residents are left feeling excluded from a process that directly impacts their daily lives. This isn’t about resisting change this is about calling for progress that reflects real local needs. As a community, we care deeply about the environment, safety, and fairness but we also believe change must be shaped with us, not around us.

Barton Hill has already shown its strong commitment to the environment. In 2019, residents successfully stopped a diesel power station from being built near a nursery school a powerful moment that reflected how much this community values clean air and the health of future generations. Rather than opposing for the sake of it, the community helped ensure a cleaner, battery storage facility was approved instead. That decision didn’t come from conflict it came from working together for better outcomes.

A map of the east Bristol liveable neighbourhood scheme

But today, many still feel their voices have been sidelined.

Barton Hill is home to eight high-rise buildings, many of which are overcrowded, ageing, and in serious need of upgrades. What makes this even more urgent is that some of these buildings have dangerous cladding, adding to the already significant fire risk. These aren’t hypothetical problems they affect real families every single day.

The community is also home to many residents with disabilities and families with children who have learning disabilities. For them, public transport is often inaccessible, and local services and schools aren’t always equipped to support their needs. Sadly, disability groups in Barton Hill have repeatedly raised concerns but feel their voices are going unheard. Inclusion is not optional it must be central to any planning process, especially in a diverse area like ours.

Today’s scheme completion highlights what’s been missing all along: genuine community involvement. Many residents hoped to help shape decisions, particularly around traffic calming and access. But for many, the process felt like it happened to them, rather than with them. That lack of collaboration has led to frustration not because residents are anti-environment or anti-progress, but because they were ready and willing to co-design something better.

Fadumo Farah

Another issue we cannot ignore is the broken trust between the community and local institutions, including the council and the police. Many residents feel ignored, and rebuilding that trust will take time, effort, and honest engagement with everyone not just those who agree. The solution isn’t to retreat it’s to reconnect.

With the six-month review of the scheme now approaching, there is a real opportunity to reset the relationship and truly listen. Barton Hill is a place full of people who care about clean air, about safety, about their neighbours. We’re ready to work together, but we need to be included from the start.

As a community activist, I will continue to stand with Barton Hill. This isn’t about blocking progress it’s about making sure progress includes everyone. Let’s rebuild trust. Let’s centre the voices that haven’t been heard. Let’s make Barton Hill better together.

Since the project's conception back in 2023, through to the start of work last autumn, and the controversies, campaigns and protests in the five months since, no news media in Bristol has reported more on the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood controversy than Bristol Live. Here is a timeline of what's happened since work first began in October: