A marketing agent employed to find sponsors of gateways in Angus managed to sell just three of 14 sites.
Sponsorship of sites on the approach to villages and towns, mostly on roundabouts, was seen as a way of providing additional funds for the maintenance to gateways.
However, after a two-year trial, the low uptake led the council to consider other options.
The council’s communities committee has agreed to look at communities taking ownership of the gateways.
Early in the project, Carnoustie Development Group suggested a joint arrangement with the council.
Their suggestion was that the council paid them half of their maintenance costs for the roundabouts in the town, but they would arrange sponsorship and maintenance.
Forfar in Flower has also expressed an interest in maintaining the roundabouts.
The group undertook wild flower planting at the Zoar entrance to Forfar and planting at Lowson Avenue roundabout along with a number of other projects in small areas of land at the entrance to Lochside Leisure and two sites on Dundee Road. The group has submitted plans to upgrade the roundabout on Glamis Road, Forfar, for which it has secured sponsorship to meet its own costs.
The committee agreed to drop the marketing company and investigating more links with community groups.
Referring to the previous arrangement, communities committee convener Donald Morrison said: “Sadly this has not been as successful as we first thought.”