THE chairman of Lancaster's Storey Art Institute attacked the Green Party for criticising their new £98,000 'tasting garden' exhibition.

The garden boasts 22 rare fruit trees but more than half of them died after the New York artist completed the exhibition and flew home which prompted ridicule from Jon Barry of the Green Party.

Chairman of the institute, Andrew Mercer, said he was surprised by at Jon Barry's stance.

He stated: "Obviously the trees dying are a disappointment, but we are not gardeners. We are going to replace the trees in a couple of years the garden should look beautiful.

"More than half the money went on new pathways and access ways for the public, you'd think the Green Party would approve, especially as you couldn't always get in.

"We had businesses who wanted to build on that site, now that we've got the garden the place is saved for the public and we have some more rare trees. For the Greens to object to that is very strange."

But Jon Barry dismissed the criticism and offered to plant any new trees himself - free of charge.

He said: " I have never heard of the plans to build on the Storey garden. It is a protected green space in the local plan.

"My only problem with the scheme is that the trees were not planted properly and because of this over half have now died. A project with a budget of £98,000 should be capable of finding someone who knows how to plant a few trees.

"Because I want the project to succeed, if the Storey Institute provides some new trees I am happy to offer my labour free of charge to help plant them in the Autumn.

"I would also like to see an entrance to the garden from Meeting House Lane so that the public had easy access."

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