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A grandmother whose garden was like the “Chelsea Flower Show” was left devastated after being ordered to remove “hundreds” of plants.
Gill Ashton received a letter telling her to “clear” the walkway and balcony behind her housE – a space she had used as a garden for more than 48 years.
The letter was sent on behalf of developers transforming an ageing shopping precinct into a retail and housing complex.
The major development was approved by Solihull Council last year and will see homes and shops bulldozed to make way for the project.
The 74-year-old told Birmingham Live: “My balcony was full of flowers, they said I had to remove everything off the balcony.
“I’d spent a fortune on it, I’d had them there for 40-odd years”.
The grandmother-of-five, who has lived on St John’s Way for 48 years, added: “[It was] hundreds of plants, there were things that had been there for years.
“Acers, Hostas, lots of bedding plants, a lot of the pots were ceramic, it was part of my life.
“It was like a tropical garden. They said we had no ownership of the balcony.”
In the removal letter, developers Mercia Real Estate stated residents had a “limited right” to use their walkways.
Gill claims she also received a visit from a company acting on behalf of developers, telling her to clear her walkway.
Residents say they received the letter in 2020, which they complied with.
But those Birmingham Live spoke to said nothing had happened since that removal, and they were unsure why they were instructed to do so when they had kept items on their walkways and balconies for years.
All the St Johns Way residents spoken to were in favour of modernisation, but angry at how they claimed the major development has been communicated to them by developers and council bosses.
Mercia Real Estate, the firm behind the scheme, said Knowle Place will provide “new employment opportunities, shopping, entertainment and new modern places to live” and that they have provided “direct lines of communication” to those with concerns.
But passionate gardener Gill said she was forced to donate or get rid of her beloved plants, including acers, hanging baskets and bedding plants.
Standing in the now empty space behind her house, Gill motioned to the walkway in front of her kitchen window that was once a green paradise.
Her son Phil Collins said: “She doesn’t drive, she has COPD, they said she had to shift them.
“People used to compliment her on her pots and hanging baskets, it was like Chelsea Flower show.”
Phil said the family had to come at the height of the coronavirus lockdown to remove all of the plants so they could be donated or re-homed.
BirminghamLive put the concerns of local residents and business owners to Mercia Real Estate developers.
They declined to comment on the removal of items from walkways, saying it was a private matter.
A spokesperson said they have provided “direct lines of communication” and that parties are welcome to discuss their concerns with Mercia Real Estate.
A Solihull Council spokesperson said: “Any planning authority is required to notify residents or tenants of any applications affecting their properties.
“With regards to this application, the Council has also kept residents and tenants informed of all amendments to the application, and considered the objections raised to the scheme.
“The Council advised in the committee report and at the Planning Committee meeting that anything relating to ownership is a private matter between the developer, tenants and homeowners.
“The Council and the planning system cannot and does not get involved in ownership issues.”
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