A neighbour row came to a head after a homeowner was ordered to clear a “jungle” of weeds at his posh west London property.
Kensington and Chelsea Council has agreed to issue a Section 215 notice requiring Nicholas Halbritter to clear the land around his property on Ifield Road, West Brompton.
The 78-year-old former Conservative councillor was initially prosecuted for failing to maintain his plot in 2017.
Neighbours say the overgrown garden has made nearby homes in the affluent area of west London difficult to sell and caused long-running problems.
One nearby resident, Christine Gambles, claimed Mr Halbritter does not live in the house but is said to occasionally drop by.
She said: “When I try to talk to him, he runs away or slams the door. My husband died four years ago and at some point I need to sell this house. You can’t sell a house with knotweed next door – I’m completely stuck.”
Another neighbour, Nik Hoexter, claimed the knotweed is “15 feet high (about 4.5m)”, adding that there has been a putrid smell emanating from the property.
He told a council meeting: “There’s rats, foxes, there’s a mosquito swarm from a leaking mains,” he said, adding that the vegetation at the back was “growing into the house from broken windows”.
The row broke out on Ifield Road in Chelsea | GOOGLE MAPS
Residents report hearing foxes mating in the basement and describe the property as an “eyesore” affecting the entire street.
Halbritter pleaded guilty at Hammersmith Magistrates’ Court in 2017 to failing to comply with a notice containing 10 conditions for maintaining the land, including addressing the Japanese knotweed and removing rubbish from the basement and garden areas.
Land records indicate he has owned the property for more than four decades.
Neighbours claim the problems have persisted for two decades without resolution.
Officers from Kensington and Chelsea Borough launched an investigation into the property
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GOOGLE MAPSCouncil officers had initially claimed the garden was cleared by November 2017, so the notice was considered “complied with” and the case closed.
In the report recommending that no action be taken, the council said the presence of knotweed was “unconfirmed” as no evidence or testing had been provided.
Conservative councillor for the corresponding Redcliffe ward Marie‑Therese Rossi told the committee this report was “fallacious”.
A Kensington and Chelsea council spokesman said: “Following the decision of the Planning Applications Committee, we are proceeding with a Section 215 notice and will progress it in line with the legislation and relevant guidance.”
Mr Halbritter pleaded guilty at Hammersmith Magistrates’ Court
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PALocal MP Ben Coleman condemned the council’s response, drawing on his decade of experience as a councillor.
“They are being derelict in their duty to residents,” the Labour MP for Kensington and Chelsea said, adding that the authority was “just keep making excuses for not doing what they should be doing.”
Properties on the street command prices exceeding £1million for flats, with one terraced house fetching £3.7million just two years ago.