City's green heart at risk if not protected

That is the warning from parks groups with the council's budget for green spaces now the lowest of any of their departments.

A consultation has been launched on the future of Brighton and Hove City Council's parks service, with a proposal to move management of green spaces more towards volunteer groups.

It is feared this could spell disaster for the city's green spaces.

Preston Park, Brighton and Hove's largest, is suffering from years upon years of cuts to the parks budget, according to those who use it regularly.

Sue Shepherd, of the Friends of Preston Park: "I still think the park is very beautiful, it is not deteriorating horribly.

"But it is really important we look after it to make sure it doesn't.

"The park is vital."

Given the cuts, council parks staff cannot spend as much time tending to the park.

Savings have also been made by replacing bedding plants with less labour intensive perennials.

It has led many to describe the flower beds as shabby.

Two Grade II listed buildings within the park are both in need of urgent repairs.

The city parks budget is currently just £3.9 million - the smallest of any council department.

That has dropped from more than £4.3 million in 2011.

The only ring-fenced funding specifically for Preston Park comes from the parking meters within its boundaries - and parking fines on any illegal vehicles.

However, the meters have been out of action for weeks.

Sandra Wood, 71, of London Road, walks her dog in the park every day and remember's visiting the park as a child.

She said: "It's sadly looking neglected.

"I have noticed over the years how it is going downhill.

"I know the council hasn't got the funds but if they got volunteers to help I'm sure it could be improved."

Small groups of volunteers help to maintain specific areas of the park, such as the walled garden next to Preston Manor, the rock garden and the charity run vegetable patch next to the Rotunda Cafe.

The park is also home to an historic collection of trees - which volunteers would be unable to maintain themselves.

There used to be volunteers to tend the rose garden - but numbers dwindled.

Mrs Shepherd said: "Using volunteers in a small park might work providing they are small and manageable. Preston Park is far too big and far too complex.

"We would be very interested in talking to the council about any approach they are considering."

A council spokesman said the local authority recognises that parks "contribute to economic growth, urban regeneration and neighbourhood renewal making the city a more attractive destination and a nicer place to live."

However, the council has warned there could be a "gradual erosion of parks" under further budget cuts.

• Also read: The Argus leader column - Protect our parks

IT’S THE WOW FACTOR – BUT EVIDENCE OF THE REDUCED FUNDING IS CLEAR FOR ALL TO SEE

THE friends of Preston Park are forever busy maintaining the city’s premier green space.

The love residents have for the park is deep and the the group’s membership is diverse.

When The Argus visited, there were three members working away to keep it looking beautiful.

One was an elderly person who used the park as a social hub to meet friends, the second someone who used it for fitness and the third – the mother of a toddler – had suffered post-natal depression and her daily visits to Preston Park had been her saviour.

It is Brighton and Hove’s biggest park and the first visitors come to when they enter the city.

It is also home to the oldest elm tress in the country – the Preston Twins – and as well as a number of other rare trees.

Arguably, it is the most important park in the city. But it is in danger of falling into neglect.

Sue Shepherd, of the Friends of Preston Park, said: “I am concerned over the future but I can’t imagine the council would let it fall into disrepair. It is the wow factor when you come into the city.”

To the casual observer the park does not seem in too bad shape. But look closely and the evidence of a fall in funding is clear to see.

There are bald patches of grass and tyre marks left by the equipment from the Together the People festival.

Two trees are sprouting from the roof of the Grade II listed clock tower and repairs are needed to the Tile House – also a listed building.

A number of bins are damaged and the last remaining bowling green is already pockmarked – the special grass that stays extra smooth and green for bowling will soon turn yellow – unused to being untended.

The council passed the cost of maintenance to the clubs that use them and two of three greens became were turned into wildflower meadows.

The final one will now have to find new life as the club has found it too cannot afford the upkeep.

The park is home to several major events during the year – most notably Pride but also more recently the Together the People festival.

It is the ideal venue for large public events, but unfortunately they provide little funding to be ploughed directly back into the upkeep of the borders and mowing the grass.

Neighbouring residents have complained the events leave the grass looking shabby – but the friends group is largely happy for the grass to be left to repair itself so the very limited budget can be used for more pressing issues.

Mrs Shepherd said: “Older people remember the tulips in the flower beds at the front and those aren’t there now. But I think that was the right decision because they were so labour intensive.

“There are two Grade II listed buildings in the park but they are both in need of repairs. Volunteers are all very well but they need to be guided by council staff.”

In the rose garden alone, different types of flowers need different types of pruning.

And the bushes have not been trimmed back past shoulder height as specialist equipment is needed.

When The Argus visited, surgeons were cutting branches off a tree alongside Preston Road – a job that could not be done by unskilled volunteers.

Disappointingly for the friends group, the festivals and events held at there do not pump money directly into Preston Park.

Money money from most events in the park goes straight into the council coffers and is supposedly earmarked for all of the city’s parks.

Pride, Preston Park’s biggest event of the year, pays no money back to the city council because it brings money into the city in other ways.

This year Friends of Preston Park applied for a grant from the event – and was handed £1,000.

Denise Taylor, chairwoman of Brighton and Hove City in Bloom, warned of the problems to come.

She He said: “While the public may not have noticed changes yet, the volunteers who help maintain the city’s open spaces will soon be seeing big changes.

“The City Parks team is having to do more widespread tasks with less finances.”

City Parks’ team manages 1,100 hectares of green space with an ever-decreasing budget. It’s a problem facing parks up and down the country.

Options include business sponsorship, running parks through not-for-profit funds and enlisting volunteers.

The city council is currently holding a consultation on the future of the city’s parks.

To have your say, visit brighton-hove.gov.uk/parks-consultation