THE ROSE GARDENS AT CHISWELL GREEN (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

THE ROSE GARDENS AT CHISWELL GREEN

2:58pm Monday 6th December 2010

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It seems that Gardening Which? are championing The Gardens of the Rose at Chiswell Green. They have again highlighted the desperate situation that the Royal National Rose Gardens find themselves in. This affects rose lovers everywhere but particularly all of us who live in the area.

How can all this happen over the sharing of an enormous car park? The ‘gentleman’s agreement’ that was entered into with the new Butterfly World to allow visitors to the rose gardens to use their car park now seems to carry quite unreasonable conditions. A spokesperson for Butterfly World says that visitors to the Rose Gardens are not legally allowed to use their car park because the RNRS has not signed a road easement to allow their visitors safe passage along a new road. What evidently hasn’t been highlighted is that in order to sign the road easement The Rose Gardens would have to agree to sign away their right to any commercial activities. Their chief executive, Roz Hamilton, is quoted as saying ‘We wouldn’t be able to survive if we couldn’t sell roses or run a tea room’. Evidently this restriction would also cover the rose gardens’ rights to a wedding licence.

As I said before, Butterfly World will appeal to family outings and has the potential to be a huge money spinner and the small number of roses sold by the RNRS couldn’t possibly affect their turnover. There is a world of difference between the refreshment outlets catering for a completely different clientele. One of the many joys of visiting the Rose Garden is to enjoy a quiet cup of tea looking out over the gardens, not something likely to appeal to families with young children who will certainly be looking for something livelier. The Rose Gardens are a place to relax and enjoy their peace and calm. The loss of these gardens to this area doesn’t bear thinking about. Roz Hamilton has confirmed that they will be open next year from 11th June to 31st July with temporary car parking in place.

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