PLANS for a shooting club next to sensitive wildlife conservation areas near Warrington have caused a storm.
The proposed target shooting club at Rixton could cause serious harm to threatened wildlife species, according to Warrington Nature Conservation Forum.
The Forum is one of more than 40 groups objecting to the proposed Prospect Lane Target Shooting Club.
They say the site is next to existing and proposed nature reserves. some of which are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) noted for their diversity of wildlife.
Cllr Geoff Settle (pictured), forum chairman, said: “These sites are home to many threatened species and activities such as clay pigeon and target shooting will add an additional threat to their existence.
“The site is also only two km from the Woolston Eyes SSSI, the patron of which is naturalist Chris Packham, of the BBC TV series Autumnwatch.”
Cllr Settle said forum members were “appalled” that none of the sites were acknowledged and that the applicant had totally ignored the biodiversity and geological conservation issues.
He said the area was an important habitat for the bird population, including many species that were under threat such as the Lapwing, Grey Partridge and Skylark.
Cllr Settle said people in the area were concerned that the development would have a detrimental impact on the tranquillity of the area. There were already problems protecting paths from vandalism and youths on motorbikes.
Brian Martin, of the Woolston Eyes Conservation Area and a member of the RSPB, said: “There are very few places left in the North West where these conditions exist and wildlife is already under daily threat from the existing waste tip expansions.
“This new club will pose, in my view, yet another and different threat not only from the noise and actions of the leisure pursuit but also from the new traffic flow. The noise levels will be a constant disturbance to the bird species especially during the critical breeding season.”
The next forum meeting will be at Risley Moss on Saturday December 3 at 10.30am and all are welcome.
3 Comments
2km away is hardly close, what sort of guns does Geoff Settle think will be fired here? Howitzers?
Maybe he hasn’t heard that one of the riches, most diverse, and best protected wildlife areas in the country is actually Salisbury Plain, where the Army are constantly shooting and blowing things up.
Plus, I can’t think of a better way of protecting and area from vandalism and youths on motorbikes than to have a bunch of people with firearms on site!
i suppose that the constant farming of the land in the area has had no effect whatsoever on the wild life in the area! Iam no specialist but i’m pretty sure that birds and other wildlife are quite fond of trees. I have been informed that the people involved with prospect target club have planted over 8000 different trees and bushes, surely this is going to promote the breeding and growth of birds and other animals in the area. As far as noise concerns go, there is a major motorway situated not too far away. The main train line to Liverpool runs straight through the area, the traffic driving to the local fishery, and the landfill sight near by should muffle out the quiet popping of shotguns!
Not all birds and wildlife are fond of trees, this is a huge simplification and generalisation. There are different species that adapt (over long periods of time) to different habitats, if you think that the existing motorway networks and train lines don’t have an effect on wildlife i suggest you do some more research. 60% of all species in the UK are in decline or threatened this includes a huge proportion of farmland bird species. A shooting range will not aid this figure it will only make things worse. The area i am proud to say is rich in biodiversity and rich in habitats. We maybe able to aid wildlife conservation through connection of these habitats and smart management but you cannot manage the sound of gun shots.