Richmond Council has "expressed deep alarm" after residents of Garden Court were issued a Section 21 eviction notice by their landlord so Westminster City Council can buy the homes.

The move means after residents vacate the Kew block of flats the landlord, Dorrington, can sell the building to Westminster City Council who will use the block as temporary accommodation - in a deal worth £16 million pounds.

Leader of Richmond Council, Councillor 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.

"These are not empty units. They are people's homes – homes people have invested in emotionally, socially, and financially for many years.

"To force individuals in their 70s and 80s to uproot their lives at short notice, in order to facilitate a transaction, shows a disturbing disregard for residents' wellbeing."

Garden Court offers 32 flats, with some current residents having lived there for more than 16 years, reports the LDRS (Local Democracy Reporting Service).

Cllr Roberts continued: "We recognise that private landlords may make commercial decisions. But commercial decisions must never come at the expense of basic humanity.

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"That is why we are urgently seeking immediate, senior level discussions with Westminster City Council to understand exactly what has taken place, why residents were put in this position, and what steps will now be taken to ensure they are properly supported.

"Our priority is, and will always remain, the people who live in our borough. We are determined to do everything within our power to stand up for Garden Court residents and to challenge any process that treats long-term tenants as an afterthought.

"No housing deal – whatever its purpose – should ever begin with the displacement of an entire community."

The Section 21 eviction notice, which will be abolished from 1 May 2026, was served to Garden Court residents by developers Dorrington.

The Labour-run Westminster City Council will now benefit from a measure the Government promised to end with the Renters' Rights Act.

A Westminster City Council spokesperson said: "I can confirm that Westminster City Council is in the process of acquiring Garden Court for use as temporary accommodation.

"This is in line with our policy of sourcing accommodation across London to house people on our waiting lists."

The London developer and investor said it is supporting residents and that there is the opportunity for some to continue living at Garden Court.

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A spokesperson for Dorrington commented: "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."

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