Consultant defends plan for seafront flowerbeds

Garden writer, lecturer and consultant Noel Kingsbury fended off questions from around 20 residents who turned out to watch the first bed planted on Monday.

And the man hired by Rother District Council as part of the 5.1 million Next Wave scheme to re-develop the western seafront predicted the flowerbeds would be: "a rich tapestry of foliage throughout the year," though he conceded this was the first coastal project he had worked on.

"I see a lot of gardens, and some of them are in Cornwall and Devon and can be quite extreme in terms of weather conditions. Perhaps less salt, but way more wind," he said.

"It's amazing what range of plants will actually grow. It's very much about getting a feel for what will grow, and in particular these low, tough shrubs, the kind of things you can almost drive over and it's not a problem."

Many of those present at the morning's Q&A session were concerned flowerbeds would be trampled by dogs and blasted by salt spray and winds. Dissenters including outspoken botanist Anthony Hamilton, 70, of Southcourt Avenue, grilled Mr Kingsbury before he picked up a spade and began planting.

Carole Woodland, of Cooden Drive, said: "They have taken down the wall, now these plants are totally exposed to the elements.

"I find it very strange that the guy who's leading this scheme is someone who says that this is the first seafront he's done. It may look pretty here now, but what will it look like after a year or two?"

But some gathered were more upbeat.

Christine Maclean, 72, of Tilgate Drive, said: "I walk down here almost every day and I have watched what they have done.

"I'm willing to give this a chance.

"It's completely different to anywhere else and I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out."

Mr Kingsbury's approach to the tough climate includes peppering the plant species in amongst each other, rather than segregating them into distinct chunks.

"The advantage of this is if something dies or gets killed out, you are not going to have a piece of dead ground," he said.

He opted for a wide range of Hebes, Cistus, and Lavender, predicting they would take two to three years to become established.

Rother District Council declined to comment.