Where have all the palm trees gone?

Palm trees in a Torquay seafront garden have been felled by Torbay Council, sparking an outcry on social media.
The iconic palms stood in the Italian Gardens, which look out over Torre Abbey Sands. The gardens have been popular with locals and visitors alike since they were first planted in 1924.
Now they are being restored to celebrate their 100th anniversary next year, but although the council says the trees “showed significant signs of decline,” the felling of the palms has left some locals furious.
One visitor to the Spotted Torquay Facebook page posted: “Trees are special for all sorts of reasons! Those palms are synonymous with Torbay.”
Another added: “Absolutely beyond words for the total destruction. How can they justify doing this?”
Torbay Council has explained that the felling is part of the project to transform the gardens for their centenary in 2024.
A spokesman said the gardens are “a recognised historical and cultural element of the English Riviera,” and form a major part of the natural landscape on Torquay seafront.
Over the last 20 years, said the spokesman, they have “significantly degraded” and are no longer laid out and planted in the original way.
As a short-term measure the area around the trees were sown with wildflower seeds to avoid having bare soil during the summer, but there has been no more planting since, and the council says wildflowers are no longer acceptable in such a prominent location.
Public consultation in 2019 identified the Italian Gardens as a priority for restoration, but the scheme has been delayed ever since.
The spokesman continued: “With the 100th anniversary of the gardens being next year, it felt timely to make the changes.
“This did unfortunately mean the removal of the palm trees, which after inspection showed significant signs of decline.”
The garden will be transformed over the winter and into the spring, with more planting promised too, by the council and SWISCo, a company the council owns to provide services to the bay. A sundial and fountain lost more than 40 years ago will be replaced.