Removal of the Mazda fountain.

As part of the proposed Valley Gardens redevelopment scheme the current plan is to remove the Mazda Fountain. There are several reasons for this decision:-

• The Mazda Fountain has no inherent historic connection to Valley Gardens – it was designed for the British Empire Exhibition in London.
• Because the Fountain was designed for a very different environment, it is not particularly suited to the Valley Gardens context.
• The inefficient operation of the fountain is inconsistent with principles of sustainable water management.
• Better use could be made of money currently spent operating and maintaining the fountain – potentially this money could contribute to a more efficient water feature designed for the Valley Gardens context.
• The current fountain takes up a large amount of space that could be better used for other purposes.

The new fountain / water feature proposed would be situated in front of St Peters and include a shallow, low maintenance and ecologically beneficial rill running through the area.

See also: The Mazda Fountain.