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OUTCRY AS LONDON COUNCIL FORCES RESIDENTS TO GET RID OF 'FIRE HAZARD' GARDEN
GNOMES AND POT PLANTS

16 May 2023, 14:08

Residents of the Vanbrugh Park Estate are in uproar about losing their front
gardens. Picture: Phin Harper


By Kit Heren

@yung_chuvak


RESIDENTS OF A SOUTH LONDON ESTATE ARE IN DESPAIR AFTER THE COUNCIL BEGAN
REMOVING PLANTS, BENCHES AND GARDEN GNOMES FROM THEIR FRONT GARDENS FOR HEALTH
AND SAFETY REASONS - DESPITE TWO REPORTS SHOWING THAT THE GREEN SPACES AREN'T A
FIRE RISK.

People living in the Vanbrugh Park Estate, close to Greenwich Park, have been
told by Greenwich Council to clear their gardens to allow firefighters easy
access to the properties in the event of a fire - even citing the Grenfell Tower
tragedy in their reasoning.



Residents of the 1960s estate have small front gardens between their properties
and an external walkway. These were specifically designed by the architects to
give people areas of outdoor space to call their own, for relaxing, socialising
and gardening.

The gardens also are good for insects and birds, help reduce overheating and
protect residents’ privacy.

Read more: Mum's fury with flat riddled with mould that even grows on her son's
clothes - and she's told the rent is going up by £60

Read more: Disabled veteran who pulled himself up to salute the Queen faces
homelessness as council can't find him a house

The council’s own fire safety report from 2020 says that the external escape
routes in the case of a fire are "satisfactory", although it mentions the
residents’ plant pots.

Another report by an independent expert from this month, commissioned by
residents, "identified no need to remove the pot plants and other items
immediately outside the flat entrance doors".

Residents enjoying the use of their front gardens. Picture: Phin Harper

Residents say that the estate as it stands is also compliant with UK-wide
building rules. Regulations mean there must be at least 90cm of clear passageway
for communal access routes in the event of a fire. Communal walkways on the
Vanbrugh Park Estate are 160cm wide.



Phin Harper, who lives on the estate, said that this is an example of a "big,
top-down project" from a local authority “that actually crushes communities.”

He told LBC: "Councils are under pressure to do more about fire safety. Getting
residents to get rid of stuff is looking like you’ve done something without
getting anyone to spend any money."

The Labour council sent workers round last week to remove benches and pot plants
from a few gardens, and residents fear more is to come.

Residents enjoying the use of their front gardens. Picture: Phin Harper

Greenwich’s cabinet member for housing Pat Slattery told LBC that the council
take its legal duties regarding fire safety very seriously after the Grenfell
Tower tragedy in 2017, when 72 people died in a tower block blaze in west
London.

But Mr Harper said: "It’s just about control, it’s a ‘know your place’ attitude.
They’re saying we shouldn’t get above our station."

Meanwhile the council has also not addressed several pressing fire safety issues
on the estate, according to its fire safety report - even while officers bother
residents about their gardens.

Properties don’t have fire doors, and the council doesn’t know what is in the
garages directly below some of the flats, meaning petrol or other flammable
chemicals could be stored under where residents sleep.

Ms Slattery said that the council would meet residents to discuss their
concerns. But Mr Harper said that meetings had been promised for some time, but
no discussions had taken place.

Residents enjoying the use of their front gardens. Picture: Phin Harper

Alex Wheeler, chair of the Vanbrugh Park Residents Association said: "We are
shocked at the council’s draconian treatment of vulnerable residents and refusal
to work with our community to agree a sensible way forward.

"Officers are waging an unnecessary war on garden gnomes and pot plants while
leaving genuine health and safety issues across the estate unactioned. The flats
in question were specifically designed to allow residents plenty of room for
plants and outdoor seating while maintaining good, safe access.

"The wholesale destruction of these small gardens would be extremely harmful to
the health and wellbeing of residents, would increase the chance of chronic
overheating, deplete local biodiversity, reduce residents’ privacy and distract
from a historic conservation area.

"The council must think again."

The gardens were built into the estate by the original architects. Picture:
Handout

Ms Slatter said that council estate residents' safety is Greenwich's "top
priority", adding that the council has "an absolute duty of care to them all."

"We fully understand residents’ wishes to make their outdoor areas attractive,
but we need to ensure that there is a safe means of escape from fire, at all
times," she added. "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.

"The Council is attending a meeting with residents of the Vanbrugh Park Estate
where we will listen to concerns and answer questions, and work with residents
to ensure that their estate meets all fire safety requirements."

Estate residents have launched a petition against the garden changes here.

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