To keep members updated on important Ferring village matters, please see the below:

1. Proposed closure of both Ferring public toilets – Arun DC are proposing to close both of our village public toilets to save money and provide better facilities elsewhere in the district (not much use if you need them urgently!). I have written to one of our District councillors, Roger Elkins, outlining our concerns, and he has replied to me as follows having spoken a the recent Environment Working Party meeting: “The proposals were not well received, and more consultation and detailed information was requested before any recommendation is made”. We hope that common sense prevails and our toilets are preserved.
2. Sea Lane traffic issues – we are also concerned with speeding traffic and poor visbility for drivers emerging at junctions on to Sea Lane. Today, I met on site with our County Councillor, Peter Evans and a WSCC Highways officer, where we discussed the problems and potential solutions. It was agreed that immediately an extra sign warning of the concealed Sea Lane Gardens junction can be installed, and Coun Evans has agreed to request at the upcoming WSCC Highways Group that WSCC investigate various options (including our suggestions) to improve safety and reduce speeding. Further updates will hopefully follow.
3. Goring Gap north – Persimmon Homes Ltd are working on a planning application for the Goring part of the northern gap. They submitted some preliminary documents to Worthing Borough Council, which you can see on the WBC web site, under reference  EIAOPINION/0002/16, relating to an estate of 475 houses.The documents said, explicitly, that the proposed development does not include the small part of the northern gap on the Ferring side of the border. Access would be from Goring Street, near Goring station, not from anywhere in Ferring. The estate would occupy the land between the stream and the railway, leaving the stretch between the stream and Littlehampton Road free for agriculture.

   The application was made to test whether Persimmon (or rather their agents) needed to submit to a full Environment Impact Assessment for the planning application that will follow. The documents discuss the environmental importance of the site, which – of course – they disparage. Worthing Borough Council said Persimmon certainly would need to submit a full Assessment.

   Ferring Conservation Group Committee will liaise with our friends in the Ilex Conservation Group, and others in Worthing,if a planning application comes forward to see how we can best help them mount a campaign against it.

David Bettiss – Chairman

As was announced at the June members meeting, we are planning to produce a number of postcards of local views of Ferring with a view to selling them via local outlets and at meetings, events etc. to raise funds for the group.

We are inviting members to submit their own photos of suitable scenes which we might use for the cards. If you would like to submit a photo or photos for consideration, then please produce an enprint (we suggest a 6″ by 4″ print) and hand them in at one of our upcoming meetings. Alternatively, you can drop them off to one of our committee members addresses  – details are on the Group contacts page on this website. Please put your name, address and phone number on the back of each photo. The closing date for this is 28 October, after which the committee will consider the entries. There is no prize for this competition, but the winners will of course be credited on the cards, and the winners images will be seen around the village, and of course far and wide wherever the cards are sent!

On Wednesday 25^th May 13 members of Ferring Conservation Group visited Ford Materials Recycling Facility (MRF). After signing in we were shown to our seats in the Education Centre where we received an informative and interesting talk about what happens to all the recyclates we place in our household bins.

The MRF is operated by Viridor on behalf of West Sussex County Council and is one of the most technological advanced MRF’s in the country. This automated process sorts and separates all the mixed recyclates into individual bales of quality materials which can then be manufactured into new goods and products. Viridor Waste Management Company employs approximately 3,500 staff and has 326 facilities nationwide.

Household recycling in West Sussex is delivered to Ford MRF via a network of transfer stations, where it is bulked up onto larger vehicles to reduce the need for more vehicles on the road. All waste received at the MRF is sorted and moved on and nothing goes to landfill.

We soon learned that the best way householders can help is to ensure that only the correct items are put in our recycling bins at home to allow the MRF to perform to its full potential. The wrong items can risk damaging the MRF and re-processors can only recycle materials that are clean, dry and loose.

To view the MRF in action we donned hard hats, which included an integrated sound system that also served to protect our ears, and walked through to the viewing platform. Here we were shown exactly how the processes are carried out from start to finish.

Once back at the Education Centre we were then tested on how much we had learned. After thanking our tutor for her help in educating and guiding us through the processes we promised to, in future, pay great attention to what we place in our household recycle bins.