Gran devastated after council destroys garden she spent 17 years working on
A gran has been left devastated after jobsworth council bosses destroyed her retirement home garden display - for being a 'health and safety hazard'.
Gillian Davies, 86, was reduced to tears when workers began smashing up the garden she had spent hundreds of pounds and the last 17 years working on.
The retired land worker began sprucing up the outdoor space with a friend when she moved into Emlyn’s Gardens, in Stamford, Lincolnshire, in 2006.
She transformed the shared garden by growing plants and adding ornaments and furniture, for which she even won an award.
The plants were ripped up by council workers (Stephen Taylor / SWNS)
Gillian's belongings were moved in the clearance (Stephen Taylor / SWNS)But she was left gobsmacked when South Kesteven District Council told her she didn't have permission to do any gardening and it would have to be removed.
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And last Friday (February 24) she was heartbroken when killjoy council workers ripped up years of hard work and smashed her shed down with lump hammers.
Her potted plants were also uprooted and dumped in a pile in the garden and the wooden trellis she had put up was yanked down.
The sheds were taken down (Stamford Mercury / SWNS)Gran-of-28 Gillian said: “They used a big hammer to smash my shed and plastic container, and started taking all my ornaments.
“I have lost it all.”
Her son Stephen, 60, a caravan maintenance technician, added: "She hasn’t got long left. That’s all she has. She loved that garden.
“She used to do it with her friend until her friend passed away. She's done it for 17 years. She also won an award for the garden.
Gillian had spent years working on the display (Stephen Taylor / SWNS)
The garden amid the works (Stephen Taylor / SWNS)“What they’ve done now is a joke. I can’t see anyone going out there and using it at the moment.
“It's the way they smashed it all up, they used a big lump hammer that they smashed the shed up with.
“She was a big gardener but because she’s 86 she can get about much now. She knew it wasn't just her garden, it was for everyone to use.
The finished garden before the council stepped in (Stephen Taylor / SWNS)
Gillian spent 17 years perfecting the space (Stephen Taylor / SWNS)“She was saying to me ‘I've had enough of life'. How could they do this to an elderly and disabled woman.
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“They are saying it was a fire hazard and they’d fall over the rocks in the garden. But there's paths here.
“They smashed all her trellis up, her plastic box up. They pulled all her plants up and dumped them.
"The lady next door was saying she wished she'd never moved in now.”
The garden soon after it was finished (Stamford Mercury / SWNS)
The council said the garden was a 'health and safety hazard' (Stamford Mercury / SWNS)Another resident Jillian Murcott, 83, who moved into the council-owned retirement complex recently, said: “It is called Emlyn’s Gardens but where are the gardens?
“I was in one house since 1978.
"I have come here and in one week I have seen more upheaval and destruction."
Robert Reid, the council’s cabinet member for housing and property, claimed the plants blocked a fire exit and it was in the interest of safety that they were removed.
He said: “Communal spaces are there for all tenants to enjoy but are owned by the council, which ensures they are safe and well-maintained.
"The communal space at Emlyn’s Gardens provides an exit route in the event of a fire and therefore it is vital it is always clear.
“The council met the tenant to explain the situation and they were also notified by letter of the need to clear personal items and remove the shed, but failed to do so.
“Following their removal by the council, some of the items are now in the possession of a family member and others remain at Emlyn’s Gardens awaiting collection.
"Work has now started to restore the garden, providing a safe area that all tenants can use and benefit from.”
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