Outrage over potential Ford development talks

Councillor Ricky Bower ruled out the possibility of the area being used for development following a comment by a Chichester city councillor.

During the city council’s planning and conservation committee meeting, councillor Richard Plowman suggested that Chichester District Council should work with Arun to create a new town of affordable homes at Ford.

However, councillor Bower dismissed the suggestion, claiming it was both “misleading” and “preposterous”.

He said: “This is a completely off-the-wall idea. There’s no chance of anything like this ever coming to fruition.”

Former Arun councillor Tony Dixon, a supporter of the previous Ford Eco-Town proposals, claimed that a new town on the brownfield site at Ford would help to bolster the local economy.

Mr Dixon said: “A new settlement can offer infrastructure contributions on a far greater scale than a number of smaller developments peppered across both districts.”

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