Planned improvements

As part of these heritage landscape improvements, Cityparks will:

  • reshape planting beds to a smart linear form with ground covering, flowering, pollinating perennials and sub-shrubs in a Mediterranean influenced, coastal style similar to Hove Lagoon
  • remove some chain railings surrounding the gardens, creating a new pathway that aligns with an existing crossing point outside the square

We’re hoping to make a future funding application for further enhancements, such as a sundial or a sculpture.

Floral clock

The floral clock feature, installed to commemorate the late Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953, is much loved; however, the clock's mechanism is no longer functioning. It's in poor condition and is no longer viable in its current form.

It was costly and staff-intensive to maintain from the very start, requiring daily maintenance and the application of chemicals and fertilisers, which we no longer use in the city. 

While financial constraints mean the council alone could not commit to mending and maintaining a working clock, we want the community that loves and uses the garden to help us come up with suggestions for what we might do with this part of the garden.

During the last public consultation in September 2025, views shared on the future of the Floral Clock feature were fairly evenly split between retaining or replacing the feature:

  • 40% of respondents preferred a new feature, such as a modern artwork or sculptural sundial
  • 41% preferred to retain a reference to the existing floral clock

The council also received a petition in support of keeping the Floral Clock in place, alongside representations from local residents asking that overall garden repair and maintenance be prioritised over restoring a working clock mechanism.

Taking all of this into account, the council has worked with local residents, community action groups and councillors to develop a small number of clear and deliverable options for the future of the Floral Clock area.

Residents and garden users will be invited to share their views around their preferred option in a public consultation due to be held in spring 2026.