Listed gardens graded ‘at risk’

Historic England issued the warning as it today places the Grade II listed Royal Pavilion Gardens in Brighton on its at risk register.

Only six per cent of the UK’s heritage parks and gardens are classified as at risk.

Historic England said graffiti and litter, as well as fencing and signage were problems that needed to be addressed.

In response Brighton and Hove City Council has said it will consult on fencing off the park and closing it at night to address anti-social behaviour.

When The Argus walked the paths of the John Nash-designed gardens yesterday, we found syringes, cans and bottles of alcohol on the floor, rusted fences and graffiti.

The Historic England report said: “Since the late 1980s, when the gardens were subject to landscape restoration, the increased popularity with visitors is affecting their overall condition as well as the effects of antisocial behaviour such as graffiti, litter and damage to historic structures.

“The special character of the gardens is also being eroded by a disparate range of fencing, litter bins, signage and lighting and these combine to weaken the sense of the gardens’ rich history for visitors.”

The organisation said it will be working with the council to develop a conservation management plan.

A spokeswoman for the local authority said the announcement “underlines the considerable challenge already acknowledged by the council in maintaining this important historic asset and community space.”

She added: “This garden is highly special, being one of only a handful of restored Regency gardens in the UK, right in the city centre. It has a special status as a public space within a historic royal palace complex.

“To improve the whole site, one option could be to enclose the whole garden which would enable overnight closure.

“The council will consult residents and stakeholders on this proposal in the coming months.

“Officers are also considering how best to address incidents of night time antisocial behaviour.”

Councillor Alan Robins, chairman of the tourism committee, said: “We remain committed to providing public access to the garden, but the message from Historic England is that we must act now to prevent any further deterioration and protect one of our most precious assets.”

He referred to the forthcoming transfer of control of the Pavilion, gardens and museums from the council to a cultural trust, which was agreed in January and is due to be finalised by April 2018.

He said: “With the Royal Pavilion Estate project we’ve got a fantastic opportunity to join up work on the garden with improvements to the wider estate.”

Heritage experts said they were concerned at the news and said a drastic solution was necessary.

Selma Montford, secretary of the Brighton Society, said: “There is a problem.

“The gardens are misused from time to time, and the problem is they are open, there aren’t any closed gates, that is the problem.

“Although I don’t like the idea of closing off the gardens, I think we have to accept it because I don’t know how else the misuse of the park at night can be dealt with.”

Roger Hinton, chairman of the Regency Society, said: “This obviously reflects a serious concern on the part of Historic England, and we’d want to see them remove the gardens from this list as soon as possible and that requires something to be done.”

He added that while the park will soon to transferred to the control of the new trust, at present “the legal responsibility is clearly with the council.”

He said: “And so we’d hope the council would do something very soon, to do something about it.”

He said any decision to enclose the gardens would be likely to be contentious, but was worthy of consideration.

He said: “It is not something the Regency Society has had a chance to consider but it’s certainly something which deserves serious thought.

“One of the reasons for the problem is the increase in vandalism, and the staff have had great difficulty in dealing with vandalism and that sort of thing. That could be prevented by closing the site at night.”

Roger Amerena of the Brighton and Hove Heritage Commission, said: “I agree with the summary, and the conclusions. It’s a wake up call that’s come at the right time.

“Hopefully the council and the new trust will organise a plan to be put in force to clean up the area.”

An update to the council’s website page on the Royal Pavilion Gardens, prepared in advance, reads: “Inclusion of the garden on the register is absolutely not a criticism of those responsible for it.

“Rather, it is an indication that those who are caring for an important part of the country’s heritage are facing significant challenges, which may require more resources than they can find locally. “

However Andrew Brown, planning director for Historic England in the South East, disputed this assertion.

He said: “To say it’s not a criticism is to push the interpretation of being on the register to its extremes.

“It’s not a straightforward criticism, but I would liken it to an amber light, to say if the council carries on the way it’s going at the moment, it’s going to harm the historic importance of the gardens.

“We’re not trying to police them but to flag up the fact it’s going in the wrong direction and to offer help.”