Havering's Guerrilla Gardening: Empowering Residents to Clean Up

For this week's prevention case study, we are heading to Havering, where the council's “Guerrilla Gardening” has empowered residents to keep their environment clean and free from waste. Residents were struggling to feel pride in their community due to an increasing number of areas becoming overgrown litter traps, or “Grot Spots”.  Officers in the London Borough of Havering environment team wanted to help residents keep Havering clean but were facing underfunding. Therefore, the team had to find creative ways of empowering residents to make Havering safer and cleaner at a reduced cost. They thought the answer could be in raising awareness about the work they undertook and to encourage community groups and volunteers to take an active role in improving the borough. The Where We Live campaign was launched in October 2024 at the borough’s refuse centre on Frog Island showing residents the mountain of waste generated by litter, fly-tipping, and street waste.  Appealing to residents, the campaign encouraged people to participate in Guerrilla Gardening. First, Grot Spots are identified and reported to the council by residents. They can then either be cleared or the ownership of the land can be established, allowing community groups or individual residents to adopt the land and even begin their own pocket gardens. So far, 20 Grot Spots have been identified for clearing. This approach places spaces in the hands of residents who will show them the love and care they need, whilst remaining cost neutral to the council. Championing pride in local areas and enhancing community cohesion, the project has brought people across the borough together to tackle the so-called “Grotification” of the borough.