A group of gardeners has won a lengthy battle to stop a wealthy aristocrat from bulldozing their allotments for flats.
Ralph Percy, the 12th Duke of Northumberland, planned to rip up 37 plots on his family estate Syon Park in Isleworth, west London, to build 80 flats.
But after an eight-year battle, which has involved two public inquiries, the Planning Inspectorate has rejected an appeal by Northumberland Estates, the duke’s company, and Park Road Allotments remain protected.
The inspectorate concluded that building on the land would harm protected local open space and heritage assets and restrict allotment provision when demand in the area is high.
The three-acre site has been used as allotments since 1917.
