02/06/2026
Roads of South Ferring
You may not be aware, but the roads in many parts of the country have three different denominations: adopted, unadopted and private.
Most of South Ferring is designated as unadopted roads. This means that the landowners have responsibility for the maintenance, hence the FRSA (Ferring Road Scheme Association). All of the above are highways, it is just the upkeep, and access into private roads, which differs.
What is different about adopted and unadopted is first who is responsible for its maintenance and the parking arrangements. If you park on unadopted roads you need to be aware that these are owned by another person, not by the public purse. Be it on their drive or their access point to their property or business, you are parking incorrectly, a bit like when people parking on yellow lines on an adopted road (a road which we all pay to maintain).
The landowner has every right to do with their parking spaces as they see fit. In the case of The Little Tipple, our customers predominantly walk to the venue to drink alcohol, so we use these spaces for people to drink outside. It is not for other businesses to use our spaces to keep their own free for their customers.
Permission has been sought from our landlord, and our license was adjusted to permit customers to enjoy our spaces. This does not affect the public right to pass which takes place on the highway in front of the spaces, as all unadopted roads have a right to pass.
I hope this clears up the issue with public highway and parking on unadopted roads and calms the aggressions and vandalism shown to The Little Tipple and it's staff. The Little Tipple is here to serve the good people of Ferring and give them a place to enjoy each other's company. If you share this, that is your right to do so. Please be mindful that we are seekers of fact. We have taken time to research this issue and have worked with the FRSA and WSCC to unravel the opinion vs fact, now we can enjoy the rest of the summer with our wonderfully supportive customers.