Palmeira Square's Floral Clock: the three options and how to have your say

Brighton & Hove City Council^1,2 is asking what should replace the Floral Clock in Palmeira Square, Hove. People can give their views at two drop-in sessions on Tuesday 6 and Thursday 8 October, or in an online survey that closes on 14 October.

The clock was created in 1953 to celebrate the Queen’s Coronation. After more than 70 years, the council says, it has reached the end of its life. The mechanism has not worked for many years, and the mound and the structure that holds it up are beyond repair, so keeping it in its current form is no longer feasible.

The rest of the square has just been redone. Over recent months the council’s Cityparks team and members of the Friends of Palmeira Square have put in new pathways and a Mediterranean planting scheme.

The survey asks people to choose between three options:

• Replace the clock with a sculptural armillary sphere, a type of globe sundial, as a nod to the site’s timekeeping history. The anniversary date of the Coronation would be marked.
• Build a new sculpture inspired by the old clock, with a fixed clock face showing 19:53 for the Coronation year. A public competition would choose the artwork for its sides.
• Hand responsibility for the site to a community group, which would take on the feature, fund it and decide its future as a community asset.

An earlier survey was close to an even split. Of those who took part, 40% favoured a new feature such as a modern artwork or sculptural sundial, and 41% preferred to keep a reference to the existing floral clock. A petition to keep the Floral Clock was also presented to the council.

Alan Robins, the council’s cabinet member for sports, recreation and libraries, said: “We appreciate that replacing the Floral Clock is a sensitive issue and that’s why we are taking our time and working closely with the local community to explore different options.”

The first drop-in is from 1pm to 3pm on Tuesday 6 October at the Cornerstone Community Centre. The second is from 3pm to 5pm on Thursday 8 October in Palmeira Square itself, near the former Floral Clock. The online survey is on the council’s Your Voice website until 14 October.

The council says it will weigh the results alongside earlier feedback and the available budget before making a final decision.