After months of silence, missed statutory deadlines, and the looming threat of a High Court Judicial Review, Hillingdon Council has finally published a formal report today regarding the Rural Activities Garden Centre (RAGC).
The report, authored by the Assistant Director of Property, recommends that the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services & Property, Cllr Jonathan Bianco, approve the nomination to list the main RAGC site as an Asset of Community Value (ACV). However, it also recommends declining the nomination for the adjoining land (the overflow car park).
This publication comes just weeks after the Friends of the RAGC (FRAGC), backed by leading law firm Leigh Day and a community crowdfunding campaign, prepared for legal action to force the Council to perform its statutory duty.
A Partial Victory for Campaigners
The report is a significant, albeit partial, victory for the FRAGC and local residents who have fought tirelessly to protect the centre.
In a candid admission, the Council report acknowledges that the legal deadline for this decision “expired some time ago” and notes that “further delaying or refusing the nomination to list the RAGC site is likely to result in legal action being taken against the Council.”
The officer’s recommendation is clear:
“The RAGC site was, and is still, being used for a purpose that furthers the social well-being or social interest of the local community… therefore the nomination to register the site should be accepted.”
If approved by Cllr Bianco, this listing will ensure that if the Council ever decides to sell the main site, the community will be granted a six-month moratorium to prepare a bid to buy it.
Adjoining Land to be Rejected
While the main centre is set to be protected, the Council is moving to reject the nomination for the adjoining field, which served as the overflow car park.
The report argues that the car park’s community benefit was merely “ancillary” to the garden centre. Crucially, the report reveals the Council’s future intentions for the site’s operation, stating:
“As the RAGC is proposed to no longer operate with open access to the general public there is no longer a requirement for overflow parking.”
We understand from the Friends of the RAGC that they continue to draw up a proposal to run the RAGC as a separate organisation and would imagine that access to the public would be part of those plans – so we await their response and next move on the ACV listing for the whole site.
Pressure Paid Off
It is difficult to view today’s report as anything other than a direct result of the legal pressure mounted by residents.
As we reported in December, the Council had missed three separate deadlines—the statutory 8-week window in August, a verbal promise in September, and a formal pre-action deadline in November. It was only after FRAGC, supported by the Ruislip Residents’ Association and Leigh Day solicitors, began fundraising for a Judicial Review that this report effectively materialized.
The report even explicitly lists the risk of “reputational damage” and “expensive expenditure” on legal fees as reasons to finally accept the nomination.
What Happens Next?
The report is currently a recommendation. The final decision sits with Councillor Jonathan Bianco, who is expected to sign off on the recommendations on or after Friday, 23rd January 2026.
While we welcome the move to finally list the RAGC as an Asset of Community Value, the rejection of the adjoining land and the confirmation that public retail access will cease remains a concern. The RRA will continue to review the details of the report and support the Friends of the RAGC in their next steps.
Comments are closed.