News

Cherrybank closes

Cherrybank Gardens in Perth, home to a National Collection of Ericas and an RHS Recommended Garden, was closed on 31 March.

The decision to shut the garden, with the loss of 14 jobs, has angered locals, but its owners, Scotland’s Garden Trust (SGT), said it did what it could to keep it open.

SGT not only looks after Cherrybank Gardens, but is also behind the project, on the same land, to develop Scotland’s National Garden called The Calyx.

An unsuccessful attempt at the end of 2007 to gain £25million of lottery funding forced SGT to look for an alternative site for The Calyx. This, in turn, has led to the closure of Cherrybank, which on its own is not self-sustaining. ‘We worked hard to make Cherrybank a viable proposition, but we are a registered charity and have to justify the supporting of a loss-making venture. We could do this because Cherrybank makes sense as part of the bigger picture with The Calyx’, said Stan Green, Deputy Chairman of SGT.

Local people got together a 3000-signature petition in a bid to save the garden and Ian Miller, Leader of Perth and Kinross Council, said it was not aware that the future of Cherrybank was dependent on The Calyx. ‘The gardens are an important asset for Perth and contribute significantly to the quality of the environment in the city,’ he said. ‘We are working to retain Cherrybank as per the original agreement with Diageo and the Authur Bell Trust that, should the Caylx bid be unsuccessful, the land would be passed onto Perth & Kinross Leisure to be maintained for the good of the people of Perth’, he added.

Talks about Cherrybank’s future have now taken place between Perth and Kinross Leisure and SGT but details of the rescue package have yet to be revealed. In the meantime, SGT has said it will maintain the garden and heather collection.

Cherrybank Garden, is the home of the 2.4ha Bell’s National Heather Collection of more than 50,000 plants of 900 cultivars – thought to be the largest such collection in the UK. Planting was carried out between 1988 and 1991 and formed part of the then Diageo Bells office complex. It is one of just two Erica collections in the country recognised by the NCCPG – the other is at RHS Garden Wisley. Cherrybank was gifted to Scotland’s Garden Trust from Diageo in 2003.