Residents ‘scared’ after council sends men to ban ‘garden gnomes, pot plants or benches’ on estate

By Joe Coughlan, Local Demcoracy Reporter

Residents on an estate are “scared” and “stressed” after the local council sent men to “take away” pot plants decorating the front of their flats.

Phineas Harper, 34, lives on the Vanbrugh Park estate in Greenwich. Built in the 1960s, the estate features a series of flats connected by an outdoor walkway and each with a small front garden space for benches, chairs and pot plants.

Mr Harper said: “Over the last year, a council officer has been trying to impose this blanket ban on any garden gnomes, pot plants or benches anywhere on the estate.”

Mr Harper said the ban has come from a “misinterpretation” of fire safety regulations for the building, requiring the walkway to be clear in case of an emergency.

He also said tactics by the council to clear the gardens have recently become more extreme.

“Last week, three big men turned up to start taking stuff away,” the tenant said. “They were coming into this old man’s flat.

“He struggles to get up the stairs of the block, so the little bench outside [his flat] is his only outdoor space.

“It’s not like he can go for a walk in the park. Even the heavies they sent round were like, ‘Is this the right thing?’”

Mr Harper said the residents of the flats persuaded the men to leave after they only moved a few plant pots, and that communication from the council on the issue has been “poor and patchy”.

The visit came after locals received letters through the mail requiring them to remove their potted plants within 48 hours.

He said: “I’m so scared that they’re going to take away our only access to personal outdoor space. I think it’s going to really wreck my sense of well-being.”

Douglas Harrison, 34, lives next door to Mr Harper on the estate. He worries that removing plants from the gardens will attract more crime to the area.

Mr Harrison said: “As things start to look unloved, they become more of a magnet for crime. Because the reality is if we get rid of the gardens, the outside won’t look as nice. The perception of it, even if the inside of the houses are lovely, is that it’s uncared for, and people might want to take more liberties.”

Last weekend, Mr Harper started a petition to protect the gardens of the estate, which has since received over 1,500 signatures.

Greenwich councillor, Pat Slattery, said: “The safety of residents living in our council homes is our top priority and we have an absolute duty of care to them all.”

“In the horrible event of a fire, we need to ensure that fire fighters are not impeded in their work. We also need to make sure that escape routes are clear and free from flammable materials. Since the terrible Grenfell fire, current fire safety legislation means that we have a legal duty and we take this very seriously.”

Pictured top: Douglas Harrison and Beth Higham-Edwards shown in the front garden of their flat on the Vanbrugh Park estate (Picture: Phineas Harper)