Concerns about events churning up the two-year-old Valley Gardens park in central Brighton has resulted in a call to “rotate” events elsewhere.
Derek Wright, a volunteer gardener, asked councillors to consider moving annual events to other open spaces so that residents and the Friends of Valley Gardens group could enjoy the area all year.
He wants Brighton and Hove City Council to restrict events to purpose-built hard surfaces such as the St Peter’s Church area which is due to be used for the upcoming Christmas market.
Mr Wright asked if the council would change its policy of including the hire charges in its general budget and instead plough fees back into the area where events were held.
He also called on the council’s Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee to ask for a report into options to give the green space in Valley Gardens “time to recover” after events.
Green councillor Martin Osborne, who co-chairs the committee, said that events helped to fund grass and hard surfaces during the first two phases of the Valley Gardens makeover.
Councillor Osborne said that fewer events were taking place in the Valley Gardens area and that this would help the grass to recover.
He said: “We do need to be balanced in our approach. Although we can’t guarantee we won’t be discontinuing, we won’t just have our events on hard surfaces. We will have them on the grass area.
“I hope there is reassurance there that we are trying to relocate events to give as much time as possible for Valley Gardens and for residents to enjoy the wonderful scheme.”
Councillor Osborne said that the fees from events on council-owned land would be counted as part of the council’s broader revenue income.
But event producers were charged for “undue wear and tear” on public spaces and were expected to pay the council’s Cityparks service directly for any repair costs.
Why can’t they use the seafront like they used to with the mile long sale we used to have the new valley gardens look awful after the events and take some time to recover the cost must be so much money
Not allowed to defile the Holy Cycle Lane
Once another cycle lane along the A259 is in place this will no longer be hinderance
That is the plan to hold more events along Madeira Drive but on days like today its not possible
The grass area’s should never be used in this way in the winter, when we had a proper parks and gardens department it certainly would never have been allowed. It doesn’t help having a councillor say ‘we will continue to have events on grass area’s’. It makes a mockery of the millions spent on doing it up. It looked far nicer 40 years ago. Says it all i think.
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So you aren’t just a volunteer gardener – what your experience in relation to running events on grass? 😊
Can’t use madeira drive as the arches may fall on people due to council neglect. Why not put astroturf on the level and hold all events there.
Mark
Yes they can use Madeira Drive, they hold plenty of events there already.
Using it would take out one of the two underused cycle lanes, so nor excuses really.
The casual defiling of parks for events is simply squalid. And makes a mockery of sustainability policies.
A huge section of Pavilion gardens was turned to mud and roped off for months and months and months a few years ago. Squalid!
Just hold events on the level. Not really a big deal is it. Valley gardens gets trashed by events as it’s a lot boggier ground.
Just remember however you will never get any ideas past BHCC if you dare risk revenue for them. With so many hair brained schemes that take unbelievable stacks of cash as the greens back hand the contracts to their mates, a lot of money needs to be raised…
In Cumbria lots of carparks have a gauze where grass can grow through. This would be ideal for area’s heavily used for events.