A west London council is expected to be taken to court over its move to close the retail operation at a much-loved garden centre. A fundraiser was launched last month to raise an initial £9,750 to support judicial review proceedings against Hillingdon Council.
The fundraiser, set up by the Friends of the Rural Activities Garden Centre (FRAGC) group, has now received more than £13,200 in donations, with three days remaining. The Rural Activities Garden Centre (RAGC) was a popular place among local residents until its closure in July. Tory-run Hillingdon Council said the site, near Hayes, had become “financially unsustainable”.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the centre was maintained by adults with learning disabilities and was described as a “lifeline” for them.
Announcing the closure in June, Hillingdon Council said it was “proposing to relocate volunteers with assessed care needs to its Civic Centre campus in Uxbridge, offering enhanced horticultural placements across the site’s gardens and public realm areas”.
The FRAGC intends to file for a judicial review, claiming that the council failed to meet statutory obligations when closing the retail side of the garden centre, as per the LDRS.
Plants grown at the garden centre, which was created and landscaped by locals to provide horticultural therapy, were sold to residents in the area.
The council said sales from the RAGC were falling 42% year-on-year.
Since its closure in July, volunteers have reportedly continued to support staff with gardening at the site.
The anticipated legal action against the council is expected to include a request for a compulsory order requiring the local authority to decide on the Asset of Community Value (ACV) nominations submitted by FRAGC, according to reports.
Hillingdon Council previously said it would “consider formally listing the FRAGC as an ACV in January and this has been published publicly on the council’s forward plan”.
Councillor Sital Punja, deputy leader of Hillingdon Labour, earlier claimed the council had so far “chosen to ignore” the ACV application, adding she was “truly saddened”.
An ACV designation allows local groups to potentially buy a site, deemed important to the community, if it is put up for sale; however, the owner is not required to sell.
