Residents back keeping sustainable flower beds
George Carden/BBCThe majority of people in an East Sussex seaside town have backed permanently replacing its former colourful flowerbeds with a more sustainable design, according to a new survey.
In 2025, businesses said they were "disgusted" when Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) changed the traditional look of Carpet Gardens, a long-time tourist favourite, in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint.
Some even described the formative stages of the gravel-surfaced new lay-out as akin to "a cat litter tray".
But Councillor Jim Murray said the gardens had since developed into a "beautiful, resilient and more environmentally friendly" display which will continue to flourish.
The independent consultation's results, released on Friday, revealed that, of the 16,014 people who took part, 69.56% supported the sustainable approach.
Only 30.44% favoured a return to the site's Victorian-style bedding‑plants.
Murray, who is EBC's cabinet member with responsibility for environmental issues, described Carpet Gardens as an "iconic seafront landmark" and thanked everyone for their feedback "in helping to shape the future of one of Eastbourne's most loved spaces".
He previously said that the new design, while initially "very contentious", could also end up saving the local authority about £750,000 across 10 years.
He put this down to no longer having to pay the increasing costs of importing certain flowers from the Netherlands several times a year, along with the new hardier plants not requiring as much watering.
An EBC spokesperson added that it "will now move forward with the sustainable scheme, continuing to refine and enhance the planting".
Earlier this year, locals admitted that, having been given time to establish itself, the site's overhaul had proved a worthy successor.
Speaking to BBC Radio Sussex in June, resident Peter Martin-Smith said: "It's now looking absolutely fabulous and I think we should consign the old Carpet Gardens to history and enjoy the new."
