MORE money will have to be found to maintain the expanded and more heavily used Valley Gardens to stop them quickly becoming “haggard” and “tatty”, opposition councillors have warned.

Brighton and Hove Green and Conservative councillors cautioned significant maintenance and wider paths than currently planned will be needed to prevent the “heaven” depicted in design visuals becoming “a hell”.

There was also criticism for the “dumbed down” design of the gardens from earlier proposals and delays in delivering the project.

Labour councillors responded by saying the current administration was trying to make the scheme work within the constraints they had inherited and the Greens had been reckless in their earlier designs which required even more resources to maintain.

The preliminary designs for the gardens, which will be increased by the size of five tennis courts under the scheme, as part of the £18 million Valley Gardens scheme was agreed by councillors last night.

Green Pete West said the delays to the scheme following Labour’s decision to call an internal review in 2015 was “hugely disappointing” and “incalculable” in its lost value to the city.

He added: “The original vision was a much more splendid place that has been dumbed down. How can we afford to keep it, we haven’t identified funds to maintain this and we will have to find additional funding.”

Conservative Councillor Garry Peltzer-Dunn said: “It looks beautiful but if it is successful as it should be, the footfall is going to be more like a small football crowd. It won’t be able to cope. It’s heaven but heaven will turn into hell very quickly.”

Deputy chairwoman Councillor Saoirse Horan said it was the “recklessness” of original Green designs which had raised questions of its future maintenance.

Cllr West said he would leave the decision on the future of the Mazda Fountain to Labour who have indicated a preference to retaining the 80-year-old fountain in response to a petition of 1,500 signatures calling for it to remain. It currently costs £10,0000 a year and will require £27,000 in maintenance over the next five years.

He added: “Clearly lot of people like it and lots don’t, its real Marmite. It has already had a huge amount of money spent. How can it be justified to spend that amount of money on one out of place fountain and not realistically have a budget to maintain these gardens.”

Conservative environment spokesman Lee Wares said he hoped Valley Gardens would not become a flawed scheme that the Labour handed on to the next administration.

He also hoped that lessons had been learned from the redesign of the nearby Level in 2013 with a particular focus on ensuring adequate lighting would both present the improved space in the best possible light and ensure it was as safe as possible.

Cllr Wares questioned whether the new layout would support large-scale events but received assurances from director Nick Hibberd that the council was working with Brighton Fringe to ensure there was provision through the construction phase and completed scheme to host favourites such as The Warren, Spiegeltent and Ladyboys of Bangkok as well as encourage more year round use.

Chairwoman Councillor Gill Mitchell said: “We are getting on with our responsibility inherited from the Conservatives and the Greens. We have a responsibility to get it right under the constraints we inherited in the business case and funding.”