Outcry over council plan to scrap floral clock.
Over 1,700 people have signed an online petition to keep an East Sussex heritage floral clock from being scrapped.
The feature has been in the gardens of Palmeira Square in Hove since the 1950s, but Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) intends to remove it as part of an area makeover.
Critics of the plan argue that the council is spending more money to renovate the space than would be required to repair and maintain the existing gardens. We have contacted BHCC for comment.
Last week, BHCC announced the upgrade plans, stating that preparation work to landscape the garden would begin on September 1.
The council’s initial proposals include “re-shaping flower beds and adding more sustainable plants which are better suited to a warmer climate,” with a focus on plants found at Hove Lagoon.
Campaigner Laura King described the floral clock as “a valuable part of city heritage” in an interview with BBC Sussex.
‘Absolute showstopper’
The clock was installed to commemorate the late Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, and Ms King said it was “extremely disrespectful to our late queen to destroy [the clock]”.
She added, “It’s an absolute showstopper, or was until the last few years when it began to be neglected.
“I can’t believe how quickly the petition is growing but it just goes to show how strong the feeling is and it’s utterly ridiculous to say it is to expensive to fix it when they’re about to spend several million pounds on revamping the whole green.”
Sculptures and a digital sundial are among the preliminary suggestions for replacing the clock.
Ms King also demanded that the public consultation on the planned upgrades be restarted, calling it a “sham consultation that’s already been pre-decided”. “We had award-winning flowerbeds that would draw money-spending visitors to our city,” she informed me.
“If you’re getting rid of an existing attraction in the city then you will have fewer people coming here to spend their money and fewer visitors.”
The public consultation on the proposed revamp plans runs until Sunday, September 14 on the BHCC website. The project is scheduled to be completed by April 2026.
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