Friends, thank you SO much for all your support. When we started this campaign to save our council estate's tiny gardens we thought a few hundred signatures would be a huge result. To have over 30,000 people now calling on the council to save the gardens means so much. The campaign has been featured across the media from the Evening Standard to the Mirror to the Guardian none of which would have happened without your support. From the bottom of all our hearts, thank you.

We finally have some good news! Greenwich Council's Richard Parkin (Senior Assistant Director of Repairs and Investment) and Tony Gleeson (Fire Safety) have now visited the estate in person and have agreed the plant pots are "very low risk" from a fire safety perspective. This is a huge step forward and brings the council's position closer to advice of the three qualified fire engineers who have looked at our situation and the London Fire Brigade who also agreed the gardens do not pose a risk as they are not obstructing access to dwellings.

The council says it is still worried about liability, but has agreed to explore a "managed approach" in which regular spot checks could ensure access to the estate's flats remains unobstructed. Residents are optimistic that this compromise could, if managed in dialogue with the community, be an effective way forward and look forward to working with the council to develop detailed plans in due course.

The future of the gardens is not yet guaranteed but huge progress has been made in persuading the council to look in more detail at the issue and explore alternatives to destruction. We will keep you all up to date with further updates as they unfold. For now, please follow the campaign on Instagram at www.instagram.com/vanbrughparkestate.

Thank you!
Residents of the Vanbrugh Park Estate