Inquiry into shooting club plan

A MAJOR public inquiry is set to take place into controversial proposals for a clay pigeon shooting range on Green Belt land near Warrington.
The hearing starts on Tuesday, November 26 at Warrington Town Hall in the council chamber and could last several days.
The plan involves a change of use of land at Prospect Farm, Prospect Lane, Rixton, for use as a clay pigeon shooting club, with clubhouse and associated parking spaces.
Ten timber acoustic shooting enclosures, 10 air rifle enclosures and five archery enclosures are proposed.
But more than 350 objections have been received, plus two protest petitions signed by a total of 269 people.
Members of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) support the scheme and the applicants say it would result in 10 new jobs being created and five existing jobs be retained.
They also claim it would produce £400,000 a year in consumer expenditure at local hotels, food, retail and leisure outlets.
Warrington Borough Council refused permission for the development earlier this year.
Among organisations opposing the sceme are Birchwood Town Council, Rixton-with-Glazebrook Parish Council, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, Warrington Nature Conservation Forum, the borough council’s natural environment officer, Risley Moss Action Group and Woolston Eyes Conservation Group.
Nature Conservation Forum chairman Geoff Settle will be opposing the scheme at the inquiry.
He said: “At the heart of the arguments are the lack of consultation with local residents, the impact it will have on them, unauthorised construction work, the noise and impact on the endangered bird species and the impact on the Risley Moss Site of Special Scientific Interest.
“Local residents have witnessed many lorries laden with rubble arrive to deposit their load as hard core for the track and car park.
“We have been fighting against the application approximately 18 months. The applicants have taken a haphazard approach and they appear to have ignored or not asked for planning advice from what I have seen during this time. Hence the mess they have got themselves into.
“They have even gone against the recommended code of conduct of the BASC.
“Why they chose this site next to one of Warrington’s prime SSSI sites is a total mystery and they probably would have completed their project had they chosen a more suitable site.”
Clay pigeon shooting on the site is permitted on 28 days in a year without planning consent – and has been going on for some time.
The applicants – the Prospect Target Club – say the development would provide essential and secure training for amateur and professional shooters.
Pictured: A buzzard (top) and a kestrel – two of the protected birds spotted in the area.