Garden Court

THE city council has been criticised for its role in the purchase of a housing block which has sparked evictions.

The Liberal Democrats leader of Richmond Council expressed his deep alarm after Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed private tenants living in Garden Court, opposite Kew Gardens, had been served soon-to-be-abolished section 21 eviction notices by their landlord Dorrington, while the £16million deal is finalised.

Labour-run Westminster City Council is in the process of buying the housing block to be used for temporary accommodation, even though there are already more than 30 households living there.

Some of the residents facing eviction are long-term, elderly, or disabled.

Richmond Council leader Gareth Roberts said: “What is happening at Garden Court is simply wrong.

“However it is dressed up, the outcome is the same: people – many of them older, settled, and part of a close-knit community – are being told to leave their homes because a property sale is going ahead.

“That is not how a decent housing system should operate. They are people’s homes, homes people have invested in emotionally, socially, and financially for many years. We recognise that private landlords may make commercial decisions. But commercial decisions must never come at the expense of basic humanity.”

Westminster Council said it had bought the property on the basis of vacant possession and that Dorrington is responsible for issuing the eviction notices. It has since made offers to two elderly residents to stay on at Garden Court after the building comes under its ownership. And it has apologised for “any upset caused”.

The new Renters’ Rights Act will abolish section 21 notices, also known as “no fault” evictions, on May 1, making them illegal.

A city council spoke­sperson said: “We will be making an offer to two elderly residents to stay on at Garden Court, if they would like, after the building comes under Westminster City Council ownership and, of course, we apologise for any upset caused.”

A spokesperson for Dorrington said: “We continually review our portfolio and as a result have agreed to sell Garden Court to Westminster City Council. We were able to give residents notice in February 2025 of our intention to sell Garden Court and the majority have already found new homes in the year since then. Where residents have found the move less straightforward, we are providing support and flexibility and will continue to do so. Where residents have protections through their tenancies they will have the opportunity to continue living at Garden Court under its new ownership.”