See the latest update on the future of Goring Gap on our Planning News page on this website – it is very informative.

Some events during March and April to note down in your diary as follows:

Sat 21st March – we have 2 separate events on the Rife and the Beach at Ferring. At 11am, we will be holding our annual clean up of the banks of the Rife. Meet in the Bluebird Cafe car park. Pickers, gloves and bags will be provided, and we will hopefully finish up at the Country Centre cafe for a hot drink etc. Then at 4.30pm, we have a guided walk by Tricia Hall out to the Black Rocks off Kingston at low tide to look at the flora and fauna. Wear wellies and bring a small bucket to put any samples in. It is quite a walk, so be prepared!

Tuesday 28th April – visit to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Arundel. Meet at the centre at 10am. Cost will be £10.30 for adults and £8.10 for concessions- this will include a guided tour by the Grounds Manager, Paul Stevens. You can spend as long as you like there, but you will need to book your place in advance – contact David Bettiss on 01903 246304 or d.bettiss@btinternet.com There is much to do there, including a Wetland Discovery Boat Safari, see the wildfowl collection, feed the ducks and geese, visit the hides to watch wild birds etc. Good food is available in the cafe.  It will be good day out.

Amid some dark and gloomy days an unexpected break in the weather provided an ideal opportunity for members of Ferring Conservation Group to enjoy a walk on the South Downs around Burpham. Under a clear blue sky and with only a light breeze around 14 members set out in search of raptors and downland birds. We were soon rewarded when several Greylag geese together with Bewick swans were sighted on the plain foraging for food. A Buzzard with particularly dark brown plumage was spotted at the top of a tree surveying the scene.

As our walk progressed we were fortunate to also observe a Mistle thrush, some Linnets and Skylarks along with several Grey partridge whose numbers have increased significantly under the ‘Norfolk Estate recovery project’. As we headed back towards our starting point we were rewarded with the sight of six Buzzards circling in the distance and a hungry Kestrel hovering at the edge of a nearby field. As the sky darkened and the rain made its inevitable appearance the group promptly made its way to the lunchtime venue.

The next Group guided visit  – this time to the Shoreham and Lancing area – will take place on Thursday 5th February, and will be led by member and experienced birdwatcher, John Dixon who will help us to identify a variety of coastal and river birds.

We’ll meet at 10.30am at the Harbour Way free car park on Shoreham Beach which looks across towards the Lifeboat Station (not the Fort car park, where you have to pay). There will be four separate parts to this visit – 1. Shoreham Harbour entrance ( as above)  2. Widewater lagoon, Lancing  3. Shoreham Airport and the River Adur  4. Cuckoo Corner (north of the A27 on the Botolphs road)

We’ll be moving between the 4 locations by car, so you’ll need to arrange a lift if you don’t have a car. Bring binoculars, and be sure to wear suitable clothing for the day, as the locations can be exposed to the weather.

The Ferring Neighbourhood Plan Referendum which took place on 10 December returned an overwhelming 82.66% YES vote in favour of the plan, and the 3 Community Right to Build Orders (CRTBOs) were also passed with well over 70% in favour of these. We understand that the CRTBOs were the first in the country to be approved. There was a strong turn out by residents of Ferring.

The YES vote for the 3 CRTBOs was as follows:

new Community Centre/ Village Hall site – 78.8%

allotment site behind Henty Arms – 75.8%

Village Hall site – 71.1%

This was an excellent result for the village of Ferring and its residents, and we should all be very grateful to Ferring Parish Council for all their hard work, ably led by Chairman Carole Robertson, as well as others who have worked on the plan. We should also thank all those Ferring people who voted for it.

A packed hall welcomed Michael Blencowe who gave an interesting and highly entertaining presentation on ‘Butterflies and Moths of Sussex’. Michael represents the Sussex branch of Butterfly Conservation which is a registered charity dedicated to the conservation of butterflies and moths. The branch holds regular outdoor events across the county and manages the Butterfly Conservation Reserve at Park Corner Heath. It advises landowners how to conserve and protect butterflies and moths and it also collects and compiles records of sightings in Sussex.

Michael explained there are some 2,480 species of butterflies and moths in the UK although some are migratory. The Privet Hawk is one of the largest moths with dark brown and cream wings, and a pink and black-banded body. The Hawk-moths are recognisable by their large, torpedo-shaped bodies. The Silver Spotted Skipper butterfly is often seen locally around Long Furlong and it is one of the few species that is increasing in numbers.

Michael has appeared on the BBC’s Springwatch programme with Chris Packham and (to his delight) Michaela Strachan, as an authority on moths and butterflies.

Ed Miller gave an update on local planning issues. The Hangleton Nursery application has been re-submitted with additional information. The proposal is to create a large car park for 100 vehicles on land currently designated as agricultural with frequent deliveries by huge transporters. There is no news on the Goring Gap issue but the Ferring Neighbourhood Plan is going to referendum on 10^th December.

Tricia Hall concluded the meeting by informing us that a Peacock butterfly was seen in the village that day

Since 2001, Ferring Conservation Group has opposed every planning application for additional houses in Ferring. So why are we supporting a Neighbourhood Plan that promises more house building?

It’s because Arun District Council’s new Local Plan calls for 50 additional dwellings in Ferring over the next 15 years and there is simply no way the village can escape that requirement. What matters now is what sort of dwellings and where they will be built. If there is no Neighbourhood Plan to set out what our residents want, the decision will be left to the developers, Arun’s Development Control Committee and the Planning Inspectors.

This Neighbourhood Plan keeps the development within the existing built-up area. Half the housing will be developed by the community and for the community on sites in the village centre, catering for residents who want to ‘downsize’ but stay in the village. The other half will come from planning applications in the normal way (and the Plan points to the builders’ merchants and vehicle workshop off Ferringham Lane as one site that could be redeveloped to accommodate them all). The Plan rules out any development behind Green Park or on the Goring Gap in south Ferring.

The really good thing about the Plan is that it also provides the basis for a new Village Hall and Community Centre, and a bigger and better allotment site. The new Hall would come about by rebuilding the Glebelands Centre on a larger scale and negotiations are under way for a new allotment area. Once these new facilities are up and running, the existing Village Hall and allotments sites will be the sites for the ‘downsize’ housing and the money that comes from this housing will fund the two new projects.

We all like the old Village Hall of course, but it is an old building with many problems. When it was built in 1924 it was never expected to last 100 years. It needs replacing. At the same time, we have to cope with a demand for more housing sites, and we know there is a need for smaller houses for people who want to stay in the village. This Plan deals with both issues.

So the threat of unsuitable development has been turned into an opportunity and it is an opportunity that we should grab – by voting ‘Yes’ in the Referendum on 10 December; ‘Yes’ to the Neighbourhood Plan and ‘Yes’ to the three ‘Community Right to Build Orders’ for the new Community Centre at Glebelands and the two small housing sites in the village centre.

David Bettiss

Chairman

Ferring Conservation Group