Potted plants on Blackheath estate taken by Greenwich Council

Phineas Harper, 34, moved into the Vanbrugh Park estate two years ago with his partner.

The council estate located in Blackheath Westcombe in Greenwich was built in the 1960s and features a series of flats above garages, connected by an outdoor walkway and each with a small front garden space for benches, chairs and pot plants.

credit: Phineas Harper

Mr Harper told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “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.”

The local 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 said that while the council initially only wanted the walkway clear, the ban has since spread to the front gardens of residents’ flats.

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

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

The front gardens that line the walkway of the estate are decorated by a number of potted plants. Credit: Joe Coughlan

"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: “It feels incredibly stressful. It’s completely overwhelmed me. I think some of my neighbours are kind of dealing with it better, but personally, 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.”

The front gardens that line the walkway of the estate are decorated by a number of potted plants. Credit: Joe Coughlan

Douglas Harrison, 34, lives next door to Mr Harper on the estate. He said that aside from the residents’ campaign to challenge the council being “stressful” and “time-consuming”, he worries that removing plants from the gardens will attract more crime to the area.

Mr Harrison told the LDRS: “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.”

Mr Harrison said he was also worried about his and his partner’s safety by the men who visited the estate last week.

He said: “My partner is a very strong lady, but I also equally don’t want to leave her here if three big guys come to take all the pots away. We were lucky that they listened. We don’t blame them either. It’s their job.”

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

The petition calls on Greenwich Council to stop clearing the front gardens of the flats and begin a “constructive dialogue” with residents and agree on a fair compromise.

Mr Harper said: “It all depends on whether the council listens to us. But hopefully the petition will help to demonstrate that there’s a strong feeling locally.

"And that will help them to take a second look at this issue… I think most of us want to have a positive relationship with the council and would be happy to enter into some sort of negotiated dialogue and feel confident that we could figure something out that people would be happy with.”

Labour Councillor Pat Slattery, Cabinet Member for Housing, Neighbourhoods and Homelessness, told the LDRS: “The safety of residents living in our Council homes is our top priority and we have an absolute duty of care to them all.”

Cllr Slattery said that the council understands residents’ wishes to make the outside areas of the estate attractive, but that a safe route to escape from fires was needed at all times.

She said: “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.”

She added: “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.”

The petition to preserve the front gardens of flats in the Vanbrugh Park estate can be found here.