Quarries campaigners’ threatto boycott Cowdray farm shop

The shop reopened on Saturday after a tenth anniversary refurbishment but the news was greeted on social media with a barrage of angry comments from people saying they would not be supporting the Cowdray business until the estate halted its sand quarries.

The estate-owned Severals East and West sites are both proposed in new options for the national park and county council joint minerals Local Plan.

Some 30 comments received more than 130 ‘likes’ and many others posted ‘stop the quarries’ messages.

Loppy Gibson, of the Severals Against Cowdray Quarries pressure group, told the Observer: “I think the boycott of the Farm Shop is more from the actual Midhurst and local residents although I know I certainly won’t be going there or using the café and friends and family I have spoken to feel the same. I think we all feel strongly that the Estate doesn’t deserve the support when it is planning something potentially so destructive to all our lives, our town and local villages.”

Well known Midhurst resident Jeni Robinson posted on Facebook: “You’ll get my business again when you stop the quarries.”

She told the Observer she felt so strongly she was prepared to stand outside the shop with placards to protest and would not be going inside:.

“Cowdray pride themselves on running a holistic estate but you don’t run a holistic estate by putting sand quarries in it,” she added.

Sarah Murison posted: “No more shopping at the farm shop for me until you stop the quarries”

Simon Verrall, of the Bepton Conservation Group, added: “We won’t be shopping at the farm shop when you’re planning a 75 hectare sand quarry.”