Bristol is famous for being a maritime city. Its harbour – a vast area of water and historic docklands regenerated from dereliction since the 1990s and set against a backdrop of cranes and colourful houses – draws tourists from all over the world.
But the harbour is far from being just a highly Instagrammable visitor attraction.
Hundreds of people also call the area home, and not only those living in buildings next to the water, with dozens of boats accommodating people permanently – something that’s been growing as Bristol’s housing crisis has deepened.
Amanda Sharman has been part of one such household of boat-dwellers for a decade and a half, living on the water in central Bristol alongside her partner and children.
Back in 2018 she founded Bristol Boaters’ Community Association, an organisation set up to bring people living on boats together and give them a voice – which for a couple of years now, they have been using to protest around council plans to hike fees and change regulations.
So who are the people living on the many vessels moored around Bristol? What has led them to choose a boat-dwelling life?
Was it fair for former mayor Marvin Rees to dismiss Bristol’s boat-dwellers as ‘privileged’? And what would an arrangement look like that’s fair to all harbour users – those who live, work and simply come to enjoy the old docks – and to the cash-strapped local authority?
Join Neil Maggs, sitting snug in his new garden man-cave, and Amanda, floating not far from the Mud Dock, to find out.
This is your last dose of Unpacked for 2024 – but don’t worry, we’ll be back early in the new year with another three episodes to close out the latest season. Enjoy the break in the meantime…
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