Two years ago, the Ferris Parish Council, to provide a topic for the Annual Parish Meeting, asked Mr Burke from the Planning and Development Office of the District Council~ and Mr Barnes, the District Countryside Officer, to talk on the pros and cons of designating the village as a conservation area.

Mr Burke said the District Council had the right to preserve and enhance areas of special natural, architectural and historic interest by placing a conservation order on the area, and, to his mind, the Sibfords, Burdrop and the valley between formed such an area.

There was a lively discussion at the time, hut the Council did not feel that there was sufficient public support for the project to be put forward. Several areas in the county had been so designated in the last decade, but in many cases conservation area studies had been abandoned at a preliminary stage when it became apparent that there was not a sufficient degree of public support; so, for this reason, the District Council would wish to be assured by the Parish Council that the majority of people in the village actively supported the principle of conservation area status before statutory procedures are started.

From time to time in Council meetings under A.O.B., “what is the Council doing about conservation?” comes up, but before taking further action, the Parish Council would need to be sure that this is a widely held view. There are undoubtedly a few in the Ferris very much in favour, and others who are very much opposed, but for the majority, we really do not know.

The matter will be raised again at the Annual Meeting of the Sibford Ferris Parish on Wednesday 24th April, so if you have any views of any consequence, please let the councillors know about them, and do come along and support them and express them yourself.

John Gilchrist