Before the Inner-city Bypass was built in 2005-7 some local Te Aro folks got together to form a group called 'Growing Community'. The group created four community gardens along the proposed Bypass route in 2001/2 in protest to the destruction of community and natural environments.

In 2005, all were poisoned, ripped up and destroyed. However, the last garden at Kensington was partially saved by locals who went in and removed most of the plants and wheelbarrowed them to the new Arlington Community Garden site just around the corner. The council allowed the new Arlington Garden to stay and the trees, herbs, flowers and veges still grow happily today.