Plans for park sensory garden divides opinion

Discussion on plans for a sensory garden at King George V Park caused disagreement between councillors at the full town council meeting held last month.

The sensory garden, which has been on the town council’s agenda since 2019, was due to be a space filled with scented and colourful plants, an accessible path, and the refurbishment of the millennium mosaic, which is currently in storage.

It was going to be on the right-hand side of the park, parallel to Lowbourne. However, at the full town council meeting on Monday 30th January, town councillors discussed the 2023/24 budget and debated reallocating the funds earmarked for the project, to help residents during the cost-of-living-crisis, or by using the funds to reduce the Council Tax, and instead encourage the community to use the Friends Garden which is behind the former Spiritualist Church, in King Street.

Cllr Phil Alford said, “At a time when people are struggling to put school shoes on their children’s feet and heat their homes, I don’t think we should be spending money on this or holding onto that money. I think we should forget it. There is already a garden like this in the town in the spiritualist garden that people can use, it’s very sensory there.”

However, cllr Jon Hubbard said he believed that the Friends Garden was not a suitable alternative.

He said, “Not all residents in our town want to walk down to a closed down area in a churchyard garden where it is a walled-in area with only one way in or out. I don’t see it as an alternative to something in our public park. The park is one of the biggest areas of disappointment for me from this council since we were elected. We haven’t made the progress of developing that park that we should have made by now. The sensory garden should be complete by now. I think it would be a shame to hammer the final nails in the coffin of the park development by stripping away any remaining funding for it. The park is for all residents in our town.”

In 2019, when the sensory garden was discussed, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust worked with the town council to create a design for the space which was displayed in the library, town hall and some supermarkets for the community to comment on.

The budget for the project was due to be ‘minimal.’ In August 2022, the town council agreed for the parks working group to create a list of ‘must haves’ and ‘desires’ for the garden, to discuss again at the council’s asset management and amenities meeting.

A budget was suggested of up to £80,000. However, at a town council meeting in October 2022 plans were put on hold until a clearer proposal was created, and some obstacles with drainage and groundworks, which it was reported could cost around £20,000 to improve, were addressed. Following the town council meeting, local residents took to social media to discuss the plans for the garden.

In response to the suggestion that the Friends Garden site could be a viable alternative, Lisa Ellis said, “This site is actually a better choice, I feel. A sensory garden is meant to be quiet, calming and open the senses to sight, sound, smell, by using focus, the soft trickle of a fountain, the sweet aroma of particular flowers and herbs. And, the majority of sensory gardens are in isolation, so as to be calm and keep the visitor focused. At KGV, imagine the distraction of the sights, smells and sounds of cafe food being cooked, children laughing and playing, skaters doing remarkable feats, in a location that’s right off a trunk road.

“The cost would be far lower because the garden already exists and has a water feature. Volunteers could provide necessary plants and help with structural features – a recycled something that catches the wind and makes a pleasing sound, for instance.”

Another resident disagreed, saying, “It is my opinion that it should be part of the park! Why should people with additional needs be pushed to one side and hidden away? If it’s been promised then it’s shameful it’s not yet been delivered.”