Fort Road's wild flowers still divide opinion
'ABSOLUTELY gorgeous' was the majority view of people who were in the Fort Road area on Saturday, where the newly-planted wild flower beds were blooming.
But while non-residents were full of praise for the displays, those living along the road were less so.
'It's very good, but I preferred it as it was,' said one resident, who asked not to be named.
He said that before the beds were added the sight of families and youngsters playing cricket, rounders and football was a regular occurrence, but now they had much less space between the wild flower beds.
The areas were planted by Agriculture, Countryside and Land Management earlier this year and have attracted criticism from those who preferred the flat grassy area, who were also unhappy at not being consulted about the idea.
Another resident, who had lived along Fort Road for 20 years, said he had heard a spokeswoman on the radio saying that the planting would save money by requiring less cutting of the grass, but pointed out that it probably cost more to cut around the beds than it did cutting the area before it was planted.
'I'm quite ambivalent about it, but it's created a lot more work,' he said, adding that he still saw families making use of the clear stretch between the wild areas.
'Gorgeous' was the word used by Debbie Guillou, enjoying one of her occasional walks in the area with her parents' dog Max.
'I think it's beautiful,' she said. 'And better for the wildlife and insects.'
