Restore the Stanmer Palm House.

The Palm House

Since 2019 Plumpton Agricultural College and BHCC with partners have been working to restore  Stanmer's Victorian walled garden, build a new Horticultural Centre of Excellence and open as 'One Garden Brighton' which will be a destination garden for the community. After laying abandoned for years the work is now complete and the garden is open to the public for the first time in its history.

The Palm House, near the gates of One Garden Brighton, is one of only three remaining of its kind in England. They were built in the 1950s for local councils and were originally heated. The Walled Garden during this time was a nursery for Brighton & Hove City Council and a space to grow plants for the city parks. 

The Palm House has not been a part of the original restoration project and the ambition is to now restore it and open it for the public to enjoy. This will involve refitting the heating system and reglazing the glass so that it can house exotic plants. Plans include adding a vaulted walkway with viewing platforms and an educational experience showcasing a wide variety of plant species. A mini Kew on our doorstep in fact.

To help get this project underway One Garden Brighton has opened a crowdfunder with a target of £500,000. 

To contribute go to 'Palm House Restoration'. 

Follow "One Garden Brighton' on facebook.

Valley Gardens - one year on.

Withdean developments

An earlier post 'Suburban creep' (4 years ago) lamented the gradual loss of semi-rural Withdean, its 1930s houses, mature gardens, and the 'country lane' look of the roadsides. In 2019 unfortunately there is no sign of relief. The two photos immediately below show 4 completed properties in Withdean Road. Some trees have been replanted and will no doubt eventually soften the view somewhat but nothing will disguise the hard fencing.

Elsewhere, unprotected by conservation area status or any other listings, the demolitions have continued. 

Withdean Avenue

Withdean Road

Withdean Road

The clearances so far, with no doubt most of the mature vegetation, has resulted in a large vacant plot which was the subject of planning application BH2016/06478 for a two-part, 3 storey building comprising 26 residential apartments.

Royal Pavilion Garden plans

Possible new entrance

Plans to restore and safeguard the historic Royal Pavilion Garden are back on track. An updated bid of £214,500 for National Heritage Lottery funding was sent in earlier this week. This bid is for funding to prepare detailed plans and an application for a full grant of £3.3 million.

After a previous application was turned down earlier this year the council was encouraged to re-apply by the Heritage Lottery assessors who noted the heritage importance of the project, the need to improve the garden and praised the community involvement which backed the bid.

The plans include:

• Improving access to the gardens for people with disabilities and a installing a new 'Changing Places' toilet
• New lighting and a secure boundary to address vandalism and anti-social behaviour
• Conserving and restoring listed lamp posts and balustrade, flowerbeds, paths, lawns and improving recycling, lighting and seating
• Overhauling the entrances, installing new gates and signs
• Creating a new programme of events, activities and volunteering opportunities
• Improving interpretation with maps and information boards, audio tours and an archival research project.

The National Heritage Lottery Fund is expected to make a decision in November. If agreed, the council will aim to submit the full bid in March 2021 with work starting in January 2022.

Improving and protecting the Royal Pavilion Garden is a key part of the Royal Pavilion Estate project where the council and Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival are working together to reunify the estate and conserve its heritage.

Phase one of the project is underway. The Royal Pavilion Garden is part of phase two.

Valley Gardens update.

A new Marina promenade.

 Site of new development looking west.

The Marina Outer Harbour development came to a standstill after the completion of phase 1 in 2016 which saw the erection of the Orion & Sirius apartment blocks at the West Quay. Since then the project has  been acquired by investment managers ICG Longbow who have enlisted architects Squire & Partners to produce new plans for phases 2 & 3. Squire & Partners have an impressive portfolio of modern developments in their portfolio including Chelsea Barracks.

Whereas the earlier plans envisaged 4 discrete apartment blocks on platforms projecting out over the spending beach the latest plans have drawn some inspiration from the city's seafront squares and crescents.

Impression of new scheme looking west.

Pink areas indicate retail facilities

For the public at large the new scheme has the advantage of providing near level access from Madeira Drive via the western breakwater, several new public squares, and great permeability throughout the site, not the least including a new 250m long promenade with views directly out to sea through the harbour arms. 

New bid for Pavilion Gardens conservation.

Google

BHCC are preparing to resubmit an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant to develop plans for the improvement and conservation of the Royal Pavilion Garden and get it removed from the Heritage at Risk Register.

Last year, following a consultation launched which attracted more than 1,300 responses, a bid was submitted for £194,000 to develop conservation plans ready for a funding bid for £3.3 million. Unfortunately, the bid was unsuccessful.

However, the Heritage Lottery Fund encouraged the council to re-submit, highlighting work that should be undertaken in the meantime.  This includes:

• Carrying out an access audit
• Developing designs of what a new boundary and improved entrances might look like
• Providing evidence of how multi agency working will tackle anti-social behaviour
• Providing more details of an activity programme, interpretation strategy and volunteer roles and skills.

The estimated cost of this work is £25,000 which would be met from the Royal Pavilion and Museums core budgets.

Valley Gardens phase 3 consultation.

Have your say on the design options for the third phase of the Valley Gardens improvement scheme which covers the area around the Old Steine down to the Palace Pier roundabout. 

Brighton Bits thinks that there is too much hard surface in the amenity areas. Why not increase the width of the grassy areas in some places? The extra cost of mowing an extra 500 square yards or so would be negligible.

Consultation at: http://consult.brighton-hove.gov.uk/portal/bhcc/env/proposed_design_old_steine_to_palace_pier

Pavilion Gardens peccadillo 2

The artificial grass just inside the Indian Gate was laid in Oct 2016 as an 'experiment'. It seems to have failed. It is losing its colour and beginning to look like worn carpet; even more unsuitable for a Grade II listed garden and one of the first things a visitor sees inside the main gate,

It should be replaced by a low, tough shrubbery surrounded by low railings. There is no shortage of other grassed areas in the gardens that are accessible to visitors.

See also: Pavilion Gardens peccadillo.

Pavilion Gardens public consultation.

BHCC is working on a plan to improve and enhance the popular garden and has launched a public consultation to find out what residents and visitors think.

Up until the 29 June the public will have the opportunity to comment on all aspects of the garden from planting, seating and walkways to attractions and events. Views are also being sought on how to tackle antisocial behaviour and whether a boundary should be created so that the garden can be secured at night.

The council is committed that the garden will remain free and accessible to all as one of the most important green spaces in the city. This survey will support its bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of Phase Two of the Royal Pavilion Estate project.

The results will also feed into the final draft of a conservation and management plan. Historic England recommended the council draw up the plan for the Grade II listed garden.

The Royal Pavilion Garden is one of the few remaining Regency gardens in the country and is considered one of the nation’s most significant outside spaces.

To take part online visit:
www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/royalpaviliongarden

For a paper copy call 03000 290902

More photos:-

Restorations in Prestpn Park

Work has started to restore and improve the Rose and Coronation Gardens in Preston Park, in a bid to have them looking blooming lovely by the summer.

The Rose Garden

The improvements are being made as part of the Preston Park Conservation Management Plan, developed by consultants, in partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council’s Cityparks team and the Friends of Preston Park.

Work in the Rose Gardens will include redesigning and planting the herbaceous borders and installing heritage benches to the bays.

The Coronation Garden project will see wild flowers and meadow grass re-instated, views into the parkland opened up, trees highlighted and brick structures repaired.

Work has already started to reduce the height of hedges in the rose garden borders and clear the beds. Weed infested soil is also being removed and replaced, ready for replanting.

Work to prepare the Coronation Garden for wildflower planting will start soon. The plants have been chosen to be wildlife friendly and increase biodiversity. The existing handrails will also be removed, and new pathways created. Fencing will be installed around the famous twin elms.

The work is being funded by section 106 developer contributions and is due to be completed by the end of the summer.Coronation garden

The two restoration schemes were the subject of a public vote last year when  250 park goers were asked which project should be started first.

The results were very close with the Rose Garden winning by just six votes. However, the council has funding to progress both schemes, so work is starting on both projects.

The Coronation Garden

Valley Gardens latest.

 Looking south along Marlborough Place

Detailed designs for the city’s Valley Gardens project go before the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee on 28 November for what could be final approval.

If approved these plans would see around 3000 square metres of highway space turned over to open space – a seven per cent increase equivalent to the area of  11 tennis courts.  New public squares would be created south of St Peter’s and opposite the Richmond pub.

At the same time, the road layout would be radically simplified, making it easier to navigate. New improved routes would be created for sustainable transport including walking, cycling, buses and taxi

Traffic lights will be modernised – using MOVA technology which can detect vehicles and change lights to optimise throughput at junctions.

Local contractors have been appointed to plan how to minimise traffic disruption caused by roadworks as the scheme is built. The aim is to keep both northbound and southbound traffic flowing throughout the works, except for short periods of resurfacing.

The main changes to roads involve putting both north- and southbound traffic on the east side of the Valley. Buses, taxis and traffic bound for the North Laine area would use a quieter road on the west side, which would form much less of barrier between the city and the green space.

Nearly all of the £11m cost is funded by government money which, by law, can only be spent on Valley Gardens.

If approved works should start next spring and be completed around spring 2020. 

Royal Pavilion Gardens

It comes as no surprise that the grade II listed Royal Pavilion Gardens have been put on the Heritage at Risk Register. It has been evident for several years that the Gardens are losing the battle with the sheer weight of people using them, and the seemingly growing antisocial night-time behaviour. 

Being on the register means that the specific issues facing the gardens can be openly identified and provides the opportunity for working with Historic England and others to find solutions, such as through a Conservation Management Plan. It also means that there are greater opportunities for access to funding for restoration and improvement schemes, particularly from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Large areas of grass alongside paths never recover

Low attractive fencing used effectively in some place

Some problems are easy to identify and the only alternative to ever- widening paths would seem to be the installation of fencing. This already seems to be effective in some parts of the Gardens. The fencing need not be purposed to prevent access to grassed areas but simply to discourage casual straying from the paths.

Litter

Overflowing bins

To cope with night-time anti-social behaviour the only option would seem to be making the perimeter secure and preventing entrance at night between times to be decided. Luckily the gardens are fairly well enclosed already and the amount of boundary fencing needed would not be prohibitive. Clearing the gardens at closing time would require an ongoing expenditure.

The council has appointed Blackboys-based landscape specialists Chris Blandford Associates to prepare a Conservation Plan and 10 year Management Plan for the garden. But there is no need to wait for their report before doing what is obvious.

A Level 'Heritage' walk

Including a visit to the Park Crescent enclosure.

The Big Park Conversation results

Queen's Park

The council survey between August 23 and October 28 into the future of Brighton & Hove’s parks brought a record 3,500 responses  from residents – and many generous offers of help.

Patcham Memorial Park

The survey set out to establish what residents’ spending priorities were for parks and open spaces in times of reduced funding. Between 2009 and 2020, the council’s parks service will be losing around one third of its money, down from £4.7m to just £3.4m.

Most popular suggestions were for the council to use more volunteers (403 mentions), create new revenue streams such as cafés, sponsors, events and charges (217 mentions) and to have more wildflower or overgrown areas (211 mentions).

About three quarters of respondents favoured replacing play area equipment with natural play features such as logs, which were cheaper to maintain.


87% of respondents tend to agree or strongly agree that residents should be allowed to cut grass verges using their own tools under certain circumstances.

Hove Park

56.4% of people were interested or fairly interested in volunteering to help maintain parks. Litter collection was the most likely thing people would offer to help with. Weeding or pruning were other possibilities. Over 1,000 people left email addresses because they might be interested in volunteering.

Business sponsorship or advertising in parks should be explored as a way of raising funds, according to 54% of respondents. 67% said options should be explored for getting not-for-profit organisations to maintain parks or raise funds for them.

Horsdean Park

Surrenden park

Preston Park

Results will help inform an open spaces strategy report going to the environment committee on January 17.

The survey was publicised via news outlets, the council website and social media, 10,000 flyers distributed in various ways, 3,000 postcards to random addresses and adverts in community magazines. 36% of people heard of the survey through social media.

The Rockery - best park in England

At the Fields in Trust Awards Ceremony at Lord's Cricket Ground last night the Rockery, Preston Park was named best park in England.

"England’s best park is a unique garden with a vibrant mix of horticulture, wildlife and beautiful landscaping. The biggest municipal rock garden in the UK, nominator Andy Jeavons described it as 'a truly magical experience'."

The overall winner for the UK was Rouken Glen Park.
"The UK's Best Park 2016 is a rich mixture of grassland, meadow, glen and woodland, meaning there's always somewhere exciting to explore. Nominator Katy Green said it is 'a place for people and nature'."

Read more:- Fields in Trust Awards 2016
Previous post:- Vote for your Park

The Rockery in 'Best Park' shortlist.

Preston Park Rockery has been shortlisted in the Fields in Trust’s search to find the UK’s Best Park.

Along with Castle Gardens in Antrim, Pontypool Park in Torfaen and Rouken Glen Park in East Renfrewshire, each were shortlisted following a public vote which saw more than 200 parks nominated and in excess of 10,000 votes cast.

The nominators of each of the four shortlisted local green spaces have been invited to Lords Cricket Ground to represent their parks at the Fields in Trust Awards on 30th November, where the overall winner and UK’s Best Park 2016 will be named.

Andy Jeavons, Garden Manager at Preston Rockery, who nominated the rockery, said: “I am absolutely thrilled with it being shortlisted. I nominated the garden because of the fantastic comments I constantly receive from the public praising the garden. The colour, interest and variety of wildlife we get is stunning.

The rock garden has been lovingly restored by volunteers and CityParks staff with plants of year-round interest, including the winter months.

The winner will take over the mantle of UK’s Best Park from Telford Town Park in Shropshire which was named the public’s favourite local green space in the inaugural vote in 2015.

Find out more about the awards.

Previous post: Vote for your park.

Pavilion Garden peccadillo

This small triangular area, just inside the Indian Gate to the Pavilion Gardens, was for many years covered with a shrubbery. The shrubbery concealed a gardeners' maintenance area but had become rather shabby with age and the effects of anti-social behaviour. When the area was given a general renovation last year it was decided to remove the shrubbery to open up the views across the Gardens as visitors entered through the Indian Gate. In this respect something of a success has been achieved

However, in place of the shrubbery, the area was laid to grass and this was quickly reduced to bare earth by visitors taking short cuts across it from the adjacent gate. The giveaway as to how this problems has now apparently been solved can be seen in the photo below. Grass doesn't grow on vertical surfaces!

The artificial turf has been laid as "an experiment". One wonders what would constitute failure. Early versions turned a horrid viridian green after a few months exposure to sunlight but presumably dyes are now improved. That seems only to leave widespread protest at the use of such artifice in a listed garden or the possibility of some eagle-eyed opportunist rolling it up for re-sale.

Aside from fencing, a much simpler solution seems to have been overlooked; lock the adjacent gate closed and direct visitors to the nearby gate on the east side of Pavilion Buildings, by the Pavilion Shop. Visitors entering here would have a far bigger paved area in which to dissipate and the temptation to take the previous short-cut would be non-existent.

Vote for your Park

Residents are being urged to vote for 4 city parks nominated by local enthusiasts in a national competition. The competition is being run by Fields In Trust – formerly the National Playing Fields Association.

The parks are Preston Park Rockery, Easthill Park, Stoneham Park and Blaker’s Park and votes can be cast online at:- http://www.fieldsintrust.org/bestpark/southeast

Winners are expected to be named in an awards ceremony on November 30.

In 2015 Brighton & Hove City Council won a national category in the awards – being named best local authority partner.

Chair of City in Bloom Denise Taylor said: “What a brilliant opportunity for us to show our appreciation for four of our excellent parks and highlight some of the excellent urban green spaces that continue to be an important part of city life. The work that goes into the upkeep of these parks is critically threatened and we need to showcase what the council and volunteers in this sector can pull off even in this difficult economic climate.”

Another award for The Level restoration

The Rose Walk

The restoration of The Level in Brighton has been highly commended at the Landscape Institute Awards.

The commendation was made to 'Land Use Consultants' (LUC), the lead landscape architects for the project, which was carried out on behalf of B&H City Council. LUC helped to develop the master plan for The Level and managed the works programme.

Transformation of the popular city centre park, after considerable local opposition,  was completed in 2013. The restoration included a new children’s playground, skate park, sensory garden, tables for board games and ping pong, a pétanque terrain, 'dancing' fountains, and extensive new planting and landscaping.

The restoration of The Level won a Civic Trust Award last year and a BALI National Landscape award earlier this year.

The Children's Playground

The Skate Park

The Petanque court and quiet area.

The Fountains