Plans for the £4.3m Queens Gardens refurbishment are to go on display as part of a public consultation in Trinity Market.

The plans incorporate modern, eco-friendly features including electric charging points, the introduction of plants and trees to increase the gardens’ biodiversity and the incorporation of designs and functions that will allow the area to be used for flood alleviation.

Councillor Daren Hale, portfolio holder for economic investment and regeneration, said: “The refurbishment of Queens Gardens is not only a key element of the transformational Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City project, it will also create a stunning urban green space that can be enjoyed by residents, tourists and workers. This multi-million pound refurbishment is a key component in the council’s plans to create a modern and attractive city centre.

“These exciting plans involve modern architectural and design features that will have a huge environmental benefit to our city centre. The plans would allow the gardens to be used for flood alleviation and include features needed in a greener, eco-friendly and eco-aware future.”

The public consultation will take place from Friday 21 February until Friday 28 February, with council officers available to answer questions between 11am–1pm daily (with the exception of Sunday 23 February when the market is closed).

The plans will include CGIs showing how the gardens will look immediately after completion.

The refurbished gardens would create a link between some of the city’s key maritime heritage sites as part of the £27.4m Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City project.

The existing ponds, as well as being refurbished, will be modernised so that they can be used as large urban water retainers in the event of heavy rainfall.

It will give relief to the main drainage system, creating sustainable urban drainage, taking rainwater that falls on nearby buildings and roofs and channelling under the road, holding in the ponds in Queens Gardens. This will stop water going straight into the mains drain, offering relief from the main drainage system.

The designs would see the planting of over 330 trees to replace the trees that are in a poor condition or require removal due to the design of the park.

For every tree removed, three trees will be planted in the gardens and the city centre. 

Trees will be replaced and planted providing appropriate replacement species, improving foliage and providing a good source of nectar and pollen for birds, bees and insects to enhance biodiversity. Some of the trees within the planting scheme are on the endangered species list. 

Extensive planning has ensured the longevity of the tree planting and has been fully coordinated with the improvements to Queens Gardens. The proposals have been developed to address and secure the overall long-term future of the gardens.

As part of the plans, artists will be commissioned to create attractive and interactive permanent installations throughout the gardens.

The redesigned gardens would offer a more suitable, large city centre events space that would be surrounded by amphitheatre-style seating.

The plans are sympathetic to those of Sir Fredrick Gibberd, one of England’s most distinguished 20th-century architects who redesigned the gardens in the 1950s.