Woman parks car on grass to protest Nottingham City Council scheme

Kate Marsh drove her Citroen C1 into the middle of the grassed area

A council has said it will not make "improvements" to a grassed area in front of houses after a woman protested by parking her car in the middle.

Nottingham City Council wanted to add a path, benches, trees and book exchange to the open space in Bilborough.

However, residents were worried it would attract anti-social behaviour and stop children playing sports.

Kate Marsh, the woman who blocked the work with her car, said she acted quickly after seeing it begin.

"There was a tractor on the green and I just thought, 'No, you can't do this. You've not even consulted us'," said Ms Marsh, who has lived in Redruth Close for 17 years.

"They were told to go back to base and then I didn't hear anything until the following Tuesday and a lady from the council rang me to apologise."

The council workers had started creating a path across the grassed area in Redruth Close

Ms Marsh said the council officer apologised because "the correct procedures hadn't been followed" and residents were not sent letters.

The BBC asked the council about this, but it did not comment on this point.

A council spokesperson said: "Using funding from the government's Streets For People scheme, we hoped to make improvements that would have had a positive impact on this area.

"This included creating a path, adding some benches and trees, and introducing a book exchange.

"However, a resident has made clear that she will continue to oppose and block this work by parking her car on the grass.

"The funding comes with time restrictions for its use and so we have regrettably decided to abandon this project and allocate the money to another area."

Ms Marsh said the grassed area was "enough"

Ms Marsh said she had received online abuse after her protest, which happened on 6 March, was reported on by Nottinghamshire Live.

"They are people that don't live here, they're not part of our little community," she said.

"It sounds like we're being a bit grumpy and ungrateful but I'm not. It's just the fact that this area is enough.

"The children play football, we have a family who sit and have picnics with their children in summer, and their children have all learnt to ride their bikes, and it's just lovely, we don't need benches or flowerbeds."

Residents from 15 of the 18 houses on Redruth Close did not want the grassed area changed, Ms Marsh said

Shirley Adamson was among those who did not want the area changed.

"In the 23 years I've been here, I've watched three generations," she said.

"My children played here and they played with all the kids, they played football, games, rounders, you name it, they all played here.

"And because it's such a big open space, you could see your kids, you never had to worry about them."

She said she would have done the same as Ms Marsh if she had thought of it.

"I tried to stop them, but they said the only way I could stop them was if I spoke to a councillor," she said.

"So I tried councillors and I tried the MP, I couldn't get anybody to answer the phone, and the next thing I knew, Kate had parked her car on the grass."

Ms Marsh took action after seeing the work begin

Tina Warren, who has lived in Redruth Close for seven years, also said she had not been consulted.

"The first thing I knew about it was when Kate had put her car on here to stop the work," she said.

"Children are always out here when they're not at school, playing football, running around. You can't take it away, there's nothing for children anyway at the moment anywhere.

"They should have asked people first or even sent a letter with a questionnaire in it."