Nurses and firefighters ‘living in vans and campervans’ on Cambridge street as they can’t afford housing costs

Nurses, ambulance drivers and firefighters are among those living on the side of a road in Cambridge in vans and campervans because they cannot afford the city’s housing prices, according to councillors.

They made the startling claim while debating whether double yellow lines should be introduced in Riverside, in Cambridge, where residents say they have faced overcrowding and anti-social behaviour.

A Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to introduce the parking restrictions at the end of Riverside, near Stourbridge Common, is being considered by Cambridgeshire County Council.

Some 210 people responded to a consultation, with 124 supporting restrictions and 84 objecting.

One member of the public told a joint area committee of city and county councillors last Wednesday (18 September) the measures would be a “step towards making this area feel safer and secure”.

“We are dealing with, on a regular basis, overcrowding on the street and we have people using the children’s playground as a toilet,” the resident said.

But another member of the public warned double yellow lines would just push the issue to surrounding streets.

County councillor Alex Bulat (Lab, Abbey) said the issues had been discussed for years.

While she had some reservations, she supported the move, highlighting the majority of residents who responded were om favour.

City councillor Naomi Bennett (Green, Abbey) said councillors received complaints about regular complaints about anti-social behaviour on the road, including “public toileting” and the “disposal of toilet contents in green bins”, which was “obviously very distressing” for people.

She noted the planned restrictions were imperfect, but favoured them in preference to having no scheme.

Other councillors raised concerns about where those living in the vans and campervans would go.

City councillor Neil Shailer (Lab, Romsey) said: “Some of the mobile homes that are there are satisfying a housing need. There are people who work in the NHS, and I wonder what kind of attempts to engage with them or think about alternative sites for these people.”

Fellow city councillor Gerri Bird (Lab, East Chesterton) agreed, adding: “There are nurses in those vans and firemen, ambulance drivers. They can’t afford a home. They are on the waiting list. As you know, there are 3,000 people on the Cambridge City Council waiting list, so they are not going to get a home, so we need to look at that.”

Cllr Alex Beckett (Lib Dem, Queen Edith’s), chair of the county council’s highways and transport committee, called it a “complex issue”.

He said: “Clearly living in campervans at the side of the road is not an answer that anybody should be doing and we should be doing everything we can to help those people who are essentially homeless, for want of a better word.

“The housing crisis in Cambridge is obviously a really big issue.”

Cllr Beckett hoped the city council’s housing team would be able to help the people and suggested the yellow lines were the best option the county council could offer with the money it has available for local highways improvement.

The committee voted unanimously to support the parking restrictions but the TRO will need to be formally approved by the county council before the restrictions come into force.