Work commences on new Italian Gardens in Torquay

Torbay Council has announced that the SWISCo landscaping team is on-site to advance the new planting scheme at the Italian Gardens in Torquay.

This revised planting will rejuvenate this cherished public space, creating a more sustainable formal garden area for the future.

At the end of last year, many of the trees in the gardens, including the palms, were felled in the Torquay seafront public garden, sparking anger among local people and visitors.

Temporary fencing is in place whilst the team carry out some of the heavy groundwork and stump removal. The fencing is required to ensure that members of the public are not put at risk by accessing the work area. The fencing will also showcase the new landscape designs on picture boards, alongside historical imagery of how the Italian Gardens have changed over the years.

The landscaping team plan to establish the structural and feature planting first, followed by the under planting and bedding. The intention, subject to weather conditions, is to have the revised scheme completed for the end of March into early April.

Cllr Adam Billings, Cabinet Member for Pride in Place, Culture & Events and Parking for Torbay Council, said; “I'm very happy to see the team breaking ground to deliver the promised improvements at the Italian Gardens. The revised planting scheme offers a long-term solution to this key public space in Torbay. 

"I sincerely believe that these improvements will address the initial concerns expressed by the local community and provide a garden fit for the next chapter of the Italian Gardens and Torbay."

The council would like to thank people for their patience while the improvements are completed.

For more information and to find links to updates on progress at the Italian Gardens, visit the SWISCo Italian Gardens pages.