02 September 2026 | 13:22

READING TIME: 2 minutes

An 89-year-old grandmother was ordered to give up the garden she had tended for more than 20 years after the local council told Katharine Hoskyns, who lives in northwest London, to stop maintaining what had become a small public green space following complaints from neighbours about “antisocial behaviour.”

Over the years, Hoskyns created a small oasis outside her home in St John’s Wood after parking spaces were installed where a green area had once been. The retired teacher filled the space with pots of tomatoes, geraniums and herbs and added a bench. “I had cars parked outside where I used to have a lovely space. I decided that rather than be unhappy about it, I would make the area pleasant again,” she told the Daily Mail.

“I enjoy pottering with my plants and people stop to chat. It’s a pleasant, social activity,” she said. However, last month Westminster City Council issued a formal notice instructing Hoskyns to remove the bench and plants, citing a “number of complaints from residents.”

The council said it had reluctantly begun enforcement action after many attempts to resolve the dispute informally over the years. Hoskyns, though, says there is only one neighbour who objects to the garden and that there has been no antisocial behaviour. “I was very upset to receive the letter. It causes no obstruction; there is enough space for a wheelchair. It’s just one person who doesn’t like it. They thought there had been antisocial behaviour on the bench, but that’s not true,” she said.

The council’s letter stated that the plants and bench could pose safety issues, suggesting that falling pots might cause injury and that the bench was not “structurally safe.” Hoskyns has refused to remove the garden and, with her family’s help, has contested the enforcement notice.

Her family has also launched a petition to keep the plants and bench, collecting 190 signatures in person through door-to-door canvassing. “Neighbours volunteer and provide a lot of support. It’s a community effort, not just mine,” Hoskyns said. “The council may contact us again, but we will keep responding. It’s no longer just me—many people are involved and helping with this fight.”