Westminster orders removal of 25-year street garden after complaints

An 89-year-old woman has been ordered to remove a street garden she has tended for more than 25 years outside her home in St John’s Wood. Westminster City Council sent Katharine Hoskyns a formal notice in July, instructing her to clear a bench and over 20 plant pots from the pavement on her street.

Hoskyns, a retired teacher who has lived in the area since the 1960s, said she created the garden after parking spaces were installed on the street. She grows geraniums, tomatoes and herbs, with help from neighbours. The garden, she said, provides her with a daily routine and a way to socialise.

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Council cites anti-social behaviour

A spokesperson for Westminster City Council said the decision followed years of informal attempts to resolve complaints from residents. The council claimed the bench and plant pots had become a site for anti-social behaviour, including drug taking and dumped rubbish.

Hoskyns disputed these claims. She told the BBC she had never witnessed such behaviour at the site and said the pots did not obstruct the pavement. She uses a walking frame and said she could move past them without difficulty.

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This space is important to me because I love gardening and it gives me plenty to do. I need an occupation in my retirement.

Katharine Hoskyns, resident

Petition gathers local support

Hoskyns’ son started a petition to keep the garden, which has collected more than 190 signatures. Neighbour Holly Bell-Stevens said the garden was a community asset, describing it as a "quiet oasis" in the area.

Bell-Stevens said her children learned to ride bikes in the corner where the garden sits. She added that removing the pots would turn the space into "another concrete corner", losing its character and community value.

Deadline passes, garden remains

The deadline set in the council’s removal notice has passed, but the bench and plant pots remain in place. Hoskyns said she expected to hear from the council again soon.

The council said it hoped to work with Hoskyns to relocate the bench and pots to a more suitable location. A spokesperson said the council remained hopeful of an amicable resolution but reiterated that residents should not have to endure anti-social behaviour.