Katharine Hoskyns waters her street garden of potted tomatoes, geraniums, and herbs.Katharine Hoskyns with the plant pots and bench she tends to in her neighbourhood. / A council has told a gran she may have to destroy the street garden she has lovingly tended to for 25 years – after a complaint from just ONE neighbour. Katharine Hoskyns, 89, created a small oasis with a bench and some plant pots to cheer up the area outside her house in St John’s Wood, north-west London, decades ago. The retired teacher says she loves tending to the collection of tomatoes, geraniums, and herbs, and that many of her neighbours come to help out. However, last month Westminster City Council (WCC) issued her notice asking her to remove them after a “series of complaints from residents” that site is attracting “anti-social behaviour”. Photo released 31/08/2026 Credit: SWNS

A GRAN who spent 25 years tending her beloved street garden has been ordered to tear it down after complaints from neighbours.

Katharine Hoskyns, 89, transformed the area outside her house in St John’s Wood, north-west , with plant pots and a bench more than 25 years ago.

Katharine Hoskyns stands outside her house with plant pots and a bench, which she tends to in her neighborhood.Katharine Hoskyns, 89, has been ordered to tear down her beloved street garden which she has tended for 25 years Credit: SWNS Potted plants, including tomato plants with red tomatoes, on a paved area outside a house.She said the council issued her a notice after neighbour’s complained of ‘anti-social behaviour’ Credit: SWNS

The retired teacher says she loves looking after to the collection of tomatoes, geraniums, and herbs, and that many of her neighbours come to help out.

But Westminster City Council (WCC) last month issued her a notice ordering her to remove the bench and after a “series of complaints from residents” that the site is attracting “anti-social behaviour”.

The council said it was “reluctantly” obliged to start a formal process – but hoped the situation could be resolved “amicably”.

But Katharine has hit back, saying: “There is just one person who doesn’t like it. They thought there was anti-social behaviour on the bench. There is no anti-social behaviour.”

Katharine Hoskyns sitting on a bench next to her sister-in-law Catherine Hoskyns, surrounded by plant pots.The retired teacher says she loves looking after the potted plants Credit: SWNS Katharine Hoskyns waters potted plants next to a wooden bench against a brick wall.Katharine has lived in her home in north-west London since the 1960s Credit: SWNS

Katharine has lived in her since the 1960s and slowly added the plant pots over the years.

She said: “The council put in parking, so I had cars parked outside my house where I used to have a nice space.

“I decided instead of being miserable about it I was going to make the space nice again.

“I love it because I can go and potter around with my pots and people come up and talk to me. It is nice and sociable.

“I was really upset when I got the letter. It doesn’t cause obstruction, there is plenty of room for a wheelchair.”

The letter, sent at the end of July, said WCC had received complaints from “members of the local community.”

It added that council believed the could cause issues, stating that fallen pots could cause injury and the bench has not been confirmed as “structurally safe”.

But Katharine, after receiving the enforcement notice, decided to fight back.

The mum-of-three and grandmother replied to the letter with help from her , arguing their side and attaching a petition signed by over 60 locals at the time.

The date to remove the plants has now passed with no action from WCC, but Katharine believes their fight is not yet over.

She said: “They will probably be in contact again but we will just keep replying when they do. It is not just me now, loads of people are involved and helping with the fight.

“The neighbours volunteer and help a lot. It is a community thing as well as for me.”

WCC previously installed a camera by the garden to monitor any anti-social behaviour, which Katharine claims has not found any.

Hamilton Gardens is a cul-de-sac located close to Abbey Road, and just a stone’s throw from the studio where famously recorded their albums.

Many locals love the plants, she says, and the Abbey Road orchestra has even nicknamed the street “The Pots”.

Katharine’s son Nicky Hoskyns, 58, started the petition to save the pots which has now received an amazing 190 signatures – all taken in person.

He said: “It was a bit of a shock, but we have responded. The whole family are involved and we have got a good campaign team.

“Everybody we have spoken to loves the pots. There is real solid support. We haven’t had any negative feedback.

“It looks like it is a battle that we can win, and we need some little wins at the moment.

“It would be such a shame if we lost them. The area would be horrible without them, you really would start to get problems.”

The Sun has contacted Westminster City Council for comment.