A SPLENDID display of beautiful blooms could soon be blossoming in Tavistock town centre, after a project to erect flower towers on Bedford Square got the thumbs up during a meeting in the town. Tavistock Chamber of Commerce is hoping to buy six two-and-a-half metre high planters and asked members of the town council to support the scheme by financing two of them, at a cost of £525 each. Last week, members agreed to help the chamber with the initial outlay. Cllr Ted Sherrell was concerned that seats on Bedford Square may have to be removed to allow the installation of the planters. And Cllr Debo Sellis said: ?I have noticed when I?ve been driving past that people do use those seats, particularly the elderly.? But works superintendent Wayne Southall assured the committee that not all the seats would be removed. Town clerk Roger Howard said the chamber would be responsible for watering and maintaining the flower towers and already had volunteers organised to move them when necessary. Cllr Mandy Govier, chairman of the council?s properties committee, said: ?I think it?s a very good idea to get some greenery and flowers in the town.? Cllr Govier said the flower planters were moveable and would not interfere with any events for which the square was used. Additionally, they could be brought onto the square every morning and stored safely within the pannier market precinct at nights, if vandalism proved to be a problem. Cllr Govier also asked if any progress had been made regarding a town council request to erect vertical banners from lamp posts in Bedford Square ? a request which previously fell foul of West Devon?s planning officers, who had advised they would not be suitable in the town centre conservation area. Cllr Govier said: ?We are going to have these beautiful flower towers on the square, and we have the lovely new charter mosaic, then you look up and see that blue twine stringing up banners!? Col Howard said the banner issue was being investigated by Devon County Council, which owned the lamp posts on which the banners could hang. The committee agreed to finance the purchase of two of the six planters ? the decision was due to be ratified during the full council meeting on Tuesday night. Chamber secretary Nigel Eadie said: ?We are delighted the council has given approval to pay for two of these towers. ?Sponsorship for the remaining three or four is going very well, so hopefully they will be in place by the middle of June. ?I think they are going to make a dramatic improvement to the visual appearance of the square once they are in full bloom ? it will be terrific.? Mr Eadie said it was fantastic that so many people had got behind the flower project ? the town council, businesses, the 31 Club amongst others ? for the benefit of Tavistock.
