City Parks has fenced off a part of Victoria Gardens in preparation for creating mixed shrub/flower beds down the centre of the grassed area.

However attractive the planting may turn out to be this shows a complete lack of imagination or consideration for the needs of residents.

The garden is presently surrounded by cracked, uneven, under-used paving and redundant shabby railings.

This could all be swept away and the area of garden extended up to the trees with extra grass and/or beds and an attractive sinuous path established down the centreline thus taking pedestrians well away from traffic and making it a much more attractive and healthy route.

This surely need be no higher in regular maintenance costs than the proposed scheme and the cost of establishing the path would surely be no greater than that of repairing the existing paving and maintaining the railings.

Delia Ives, Old Patcham Mews, Brighton