Layby Living

People have been living on roadsides, in laybys and carparks across Britain for generations, building cultures which reside in a nomadic way of life. Nowadays, this way of living encompasses those living nomadically by culture, choice or necessity. The cost of living and housing crises have pushed people further into the fringes. And an exponential rise in ‘vanlifers’ over the last few years - which attracts a young, professional and content-creating audience looking for a fun, free and alternative way to live - has seen the numbers of those living on the roadside in Britain sore.

But whatever the reason people end up on the road, this way of life is under threat. The conflicts between roadside dwellers and housed communities, local councils and the government is nothing new, but the introduction of the PCSC Act (Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act) in 2022 - affording increased police powers to fine, arrest and seize the homes of people living in this way - brought the UK’s war on roadside living to the headlines once again.

Georgie Styles lived between vans and a caravan named Wes for a few years, as a means of escaping unattainable city rents and seeking a greener life, closer to nature. But she quickly realised she had joined a road going nowhere - no land, no car parks, no laybys accessible to her. In this programme, Georgie explores what it means to live on the roadside in Britain today and realises everyone is asking the same question: where are we supposed to go?

Commissioned in association with the Multitrack Audio Producers Fellowship for new talent in feature-making.

Presented and Produced by Georgie Styles
Mixed by Arlie Adlington
Executive Producer: Robert Nicholson
Commissioning Editor: Khaliq Meer
Contributors: Austin Carpenter, Emma Broadshaw and Nick Rosen
A Whistledown Production for BBC Sounds Audio Lab