Saying it with flowers - Petworth gardeners' bid to slow down the traffic

Petworth gardeners are laying the ground for a planting project aimed at slowing down traffic, deterring lorries and putting colour into the town.

It is the brainchild of professional gardener Judith Spencer and garden designer Lorraine Smith, newcomers to Petworth, who met when Judith and her partner, Michael Pengilly, formed the new Petworth Gardening Club.

“We have about 30 members already,” said Judith, “and although we are a gardening club in our own right, we also wanted to generate various initiatives in the town.

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“We knew about the work of the Vision Group and also the town council had ideas from the transport survey they commissioned.”

ks170102-2 Mid Pet Bloom phot kate
Mike Pengilly front, with members of the gardening team preparing the flower beds.ks170102-2 SUS-170227-145242001ks170102-2 Mid Pet Bloom phot kate
Mike Pengilly front, with members of the gardening team preparing the flower beds.ks170102-2 SUS-170227-145242001
ks170102-2 Mid Pet Bloom phot kate Mike Pengilly front, with members of the gardening team preparing the flower beds.ks170102-2 SUS-170227-145242001

One of the recommendations was to create ‘gateways’ at the town entrances providing features which would slow cars down.

“We contacted the Petworth Business Association and town council chairman Chris Kemp and put together some ideas which we presented to them,” said Judith.

The result is the Petworth In Bloom garden club volunteers are working on two gateways - one on the Midhurst Road before the roundabout and the second on a triangle of grass close to the Sheepdown Drive junction with Angel Street.

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“We are concentrating of these to see how it goes,” said Lorraine. “The idea is to define the entrances and to slow down the traffic. We also want to make metalwork gate structures which will be placed in the planting.”

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Lorraine Smith and Judith Spencer sprucing up the verges in Petworth ,ks170102-1 SUS-170227-145230001ks170102-1 Mid Pet Bloom phot kate
Lorraine Smith and Judith Spencer sprucing up the verges in Petworth ,ks170102-1 SUS-170227-145230001
ks170102-1 Mid Pet Bloom phot kate Lorraine Smith and Judith Spencer sprucing up the verges in Petworth ,ks170102-1 SUS-170227-145230001

Town council chairman Chris Kemp said: “We have these willing volunteers so it seems sensible to use them and the town council has money earmarked for some of the proposals in the transport report.”

The gardeners have already carried out a project to tidy up the Boys School memorial in the Horsham Road cemetery and are working towards entering the ‘In Bloom’ competition.”

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ks170102-2 Mid Pet Bloom phot kate
Mike Pengilly front, with members of the gardening team preparing the flower beds.ks170102-2 SUS-170227-145242001ks170102-2 Mid Pet Bloom phot kate
Mike Pengilly front, with members of the gardening team preparing the flower beds.ks170102-2 SUS-170227-145242001
ks170102-2 Mid Pet Bloom phot kate Mike Pengilly front, with members of the gardening team preparing the flower beds.ks170102-2 SUS-170227-145242001

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