Government knocks back garden-grabbing ban

The government has spurned the opportunity to outlaw the practice of "garden-grabbing", much to the dismay of those in the horticulture world.

Garden-grabbing refers to instances where development projects end up encroaching on gardens and open spaces – as if they were Brownfield sites.

The Conservative Party had called for a ban on garden-grabbing but Labour delayed a decision – without setting a timeframe to re-examine the issue.

Shadow communities and local government secretary Julia Goldsworthy bemoaned the decision.

"Communities are rightly concerned that the character of their areas is being adversely and irreparably affected by developments in gardens and open spaces," she told Horticulture Week.

"It is a travesty that much-needed green space in urban areas is lumped into the category of Brownfield land and that the government is insisting that there is not a problem."

It seems the task of keeping Britain a green and pleasant land will fall on the gardeners who use their greenhouse and gardening skills to turn their own land into an outdoor oasis.