Councillor Kate O’Kelly (West Sussex County Council), Councillor Adrian Hearle (Chair, Woodford with Redford PC), and Councillor Howard Ewing (Chair, Bepton PC) met at the Severals yesterday to look at the area to be affected and discuss working together on opposing turning Severals East and West into sand quarries.

They were joined by local resident Katherine Steele who lives nearby and has been through all of this before.

Photo courtesy of Philippa McCullough (l to r: Katherine Steele, Howard Ewing, Kate O’Kelly & Adrian Hearle)

Katherine said

“Words cannot express how disappointed I am at finding myself in this position again. They were refused within a previous soft sand study due to deliverability issues and then not found suitable within the more recent joint minerals plan. Now they are back. I know that I am not alone in holding the opinion that this is always a threat that hangs over us.

What is here is actually already a beautiful existing area. I can’t imagine standing on the top of “Sunset hill” looking down onto a working quarry for the next however many years. What will happen to the wild life? What will happen to we residents who will be exposed to the devastation and pollution? What will happen to the already creaking infrastructure of roads through the villages around Midhurst and beyond? An area of outstanding natural beauty, it would no longer be!”

Photo courtesy of Philippa McCullough

If you have views on the proposals or want to find out more, the detail with how to respond is here. Other related posts are here and here.