Welcome to the website for The Forge – the community project to create a new village shop and café here in Slindon, near Arundel, West Sussex, scheduled to open in September 2012.
Our aim is to restore the redundant Forge building, extend it and create a new hub for the village by providing a shop, café and information point.
More details will appear here soon but, for now, here is a brief summary of what we’ve achieved so far:
- We’ve put together a dedicated team of villagers who are running the project.
- The results from a detailed community consultation exercise show widespread support for the scheme.
- We have enlisted the support of a wide range of organisations including the District and County Councils, the South Downs National Park Authority, and all manner of other key groups.
- We’ve secured the lease from the freeholder, the National Trust.
- We have undertaken building surveys and had architect’s plans drawn up.
- We have been granted Planning Permission for the scheme.
- We have carefully studied the economics of community shops and taken advice from a wide range of business advisers. That has formed the basis of a detailed business plan that convinces us the scheme is viable.
- We have set up an Industrial Provident Society – the legal entity that will run the project – and everyone in the community will soon have a chance to become Members of that Society and support the project in a number of different ways.
- We have started on a programme of fundraising.
Like many villages we have lost vital services in recent years – Post Office, shop and one of our pubs. The loss is not just practical – it means a loss of social contacts as well. The Forge project provides a wonderful opportunity to reverse this and provide vital services to ensure our village remains the vibrant community we all enjoy. Not only that, it also give an important new lease of life and public access to an historically important village building.
There is still much to be done and many hurdles to overcome – but we’re getting there.
Come back to this website very soon and find out more about this exciting project.