The owner of a £3 million Chelsea property has been served with a council order to clear rampant Japanese knotweed, rats and foxes from his garden after years of complaints from neighbours. Kensington and Chelsea Council voted to issue a Section 215 notice against Nicholas Halbritter, a former Conservative councillor, over the state of his home on Ifield Road in South West London.
Residents say they have faced problems at No.144 for years, with one claiming the house is 'rotting from the inside out'. A petition signed by 46 neighbours prompted the council to act. Lead petitioner Nik Hoexter told a planning applications committee that there was 'rampant knotweed, rats, foxes, and a mosquito swarm from a leaking mains' which had been ongoing for two years. He also said the decomposing remains of the last basement resident had been removed, and that vegetation was growing into the house through broken windows.
Councillors voted to issue the Section 215 notice despite a report recommending no action, which assessed there had been 'no significant harm to the area'. Councillor Marie-Therese Rossi said: 'Surely common sense must prevail. Direct action is needed, and this council must now act in the interest of its long-suffering residents.' Mr Hoexter called on the council to use stronger powers under Section 219 to enter the property and undertake the work itself.
One neighbour claimed Mr Halbritter 'slams the door in my face' when she tries to discuss the garden. The property was previously investigated by neighbouring Hammersmith and Fulham Council under a bi-borough arrangement. A Section 215 notice was issued in 2016, and Mr Halbritter was prosecuted the following year for failing to comply. The garden was cleared by November 2017, and the case was closed.
A council spokesperson 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.' Japanese knotweed, an invasive species introduced to the UK as an ornamental plant, can grow up to 2 metres tall and has roots that extend more than a metre underground, making it difficult to eradicate.
