THE SHADOW cast by lighthouses or wartime searchlights and the architecture of Regency buildings all formed inspiration for a celebrity gardener's ideas to transform a space looking out at Sussex's tallest tower.

Diarmuid Gavin, the Irish television personality and Chelsea Flower Show garden designer, put together three ideas for the Regency Square garden, which is due to have a makeover with money made from i360 ticket sales.

He and his team donated their time after being impressed with the idea when approached by the Regency Square Area Society committee. The society has worked with Brighton and Hove City Council on the plan and now the options - searchlight, plumage and bumps - are being put forward for consideration by the public.

Mr Gavin said searchlight drew on the square's origins to allow views from the houses to the sea.

He said: "I’m following the notion of sight lines and taking inspiration from other ideas, some quite contemporary. From the sundial type shadow to be generated by the i360 through wartime searchlights and coastal lighthouses, the criss cross lines of Hyde Park pathways to abstract art."

With the plumage option he is drawing on the Regency architecture of the surrounding buildings, and said: "Seaside parks and gardens are famed for their use of flamboyant colour in exuberant flower beds. I’ve embraced regal shapes to bathe the plot in seasonal colour."

The third design, bumps, is "pure fun".

He said: "It’s a simple concept created by using sculptural forms to make an abstract pattern. People love mounds to gather around, to roll down, to run around. They are designed to make the most of the sloping site and will appear to be bigger from a distance. Because of their round form, like domed jelly moulds, they won’t block views, rather, they should add to the increasingly playful vista."

Society member Nigel Rose said: "Diarmuid has done a great job and come up with some fantastic ideas and people are already coming forward with their thoughts."

He said there are also plans to reinstate the original railings around the square and use locally-made Chailey brick pavement.

A pot of one per cent of ticket sales will be used by the society for the garden redesign as well as council plans to transform the areas either side of the i360. The money to be shared could be around £80,000 if estimated revenues and visitor numbers prevail.

Mr Rose said it is not yet clear how much money will be needed for the garden and estimates will be gathered once a design is picked.

Regency ward councillor Alex Phillips urged people to help create something the city can be proud of, adding: "This is a great outcome for residents and one of the reasons the Green administration worked so hard to secure external funding for the i360. I'd like to thank the Regency Square area society and council officers for their efforts in bringing together these plans."

Calls have been made for the wreckage of the West Pier to be brought ashore to form the centrepiece of the garden. Click here for the full story

How to respond to the questionnaire

NEARBY residents and businesses are asked to give their views on the plans.

Their feedback will help form a decision on what the garden will look like. While responses have already started to flood in, there is not yet a clear favourite.

People have until February 28 to fill out the questionnaire. The responses can be posted to Nigel Rose, 65/66 Regency Square, Brighton, or emailed to Nicola.Floyd@yahoo.com. Click here to download the form.