A campaign has been initiated to challenge a west London council in court regarding its inaction on whether a community garden centre should be assigned protected community status.

The Friends of the Rural Activities Garden Centre (FRAGC), located near Hayes, intends to seek a judicial review concerning Hillingdon Council’s management of an application to recognize the site as an Asset of Community Value (ACV).

The garden centre enjoyed significant support from local residents and was maintained by individuals with learning disabilities.

Hillingdon Council stated that it would “consider formally designating the FRAGC as an ACV in January, and this intention has been made public in the council’s forward plan.”

The garden centre was established and landscaped by borough residents to offer horticultural therapy and, until July, it sold plants cultivated on-site to the local community.

However, it was shut down by Hillingdon Council in July 2025, citing financial sustainability issues.

Councillor Sital Punja, deputy leader of Hillingdon Labour, expressed her “deep sorrow” that the Conservative-led council has thus far “overlooked” the ACV application.

She elaborated that the council’s deputy leader, Jonathan Bianco, indicated at a meeting in September that a decision regarding the FRAGC would be forthcoming within two weeks.

“Now a cash-strapped council, appealing to the Labour government for a bailout due to their financial mismanagement, will face a legal battle because they have failed to adhere to statutory timelines for processing the Asset of Community Value application,” she remarked.

FRAGC aims to gather an initial £9,750 to facilitate the judicial review process against the council.

This legal action may involve a petition for a mandatory order compelling the council to address the ACV applications submitted by FRAGC.

An ACV designation by the council serves to protect important community land or buildings by granting local organizations the opportunity to prepare bids if the property is up for sale, although the owner is under no obligation to sell.

Nonetheless, advocates have informed the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that Hillingdon Council has failed to provide critical information necessary for creating a viable financial plan to acquire the site.

In a statement to the LDRS in November, the council contended that it has supplied financial information to FRAGC.