Ferring Country Centre car park expansion and retail unit refused

Plans to expand the car park and build a new retail unit at Ferring Country Centre have been refused by Arun District Council over concerns about traffic, flooding and environmental impact.

The proposals for the site in Rife Way, Ferring, included 53 additional parking spaces and a single-storey retail building.

The council rejected the application on Thursday 22 October, saying insufficient evidence had been provided to assess the impact of additional traffic on surrounding roads. It also raised concerns about surface water drainage and flood risk, while the plans failed to demonstrate that they could achieve the required 10 per cent biodiversity net gain or adequately protect mature trees.

Although the council considered expansion acceptable in principle and acknowledged potential benefits for parking, visitor activities and employment, it concluded that the outstanding concerns outweighed those advantages. Ferring Parish Council had also objected, citing insufficient detail, the number of proposed parking spaces and the impact on a public right of way.