Locals blast shooters

Andrew Mathieson
COUNCIL documents have cast doubt on the hopes of hundreds of shooters to relocate two homeless Geelong gun clubs to vacant farmland.
Geelong’s clay target and field and game clubs have submitted a joint planning permit to build a shooting range on more than 30 hectares on Old Boundary Road, Anakie.
But a City of Greater Geelong letter back to applicant Sincock Planning, acting on behalf of the clubs’ raised concerns about the risk of high winds affecting firing arcs already “relatively close” to property boundaries.
“Naturally, council would be opposed to projectiles landing beyond the site,” City statutory planning coordinator Melissa McBride said.
Planners also raised concerns about the “likely environmental impact” from lead contamination of soil and water on the site and surrounding land.
Council had received 36 submissions against the clubs’ proposal when submissions closed last week.
Ward councillor Cameron Granger met Anakie residents about their objections, which included environmental impacts, noise, possible land value devaluations and compatibility with existing uses of nearby properties.
“They have raised some real concerns and I can understand them,” Cr Granger said.
“There are some doubts in my mind about the environmental impact and especially noise.”
Cr Granger said gun powder and lead shot from the shooters could “poison” a floodway in the area.
Cr Granger was considering asking planning portfolio-holder Andrew Katos to call in the project for debate.
Nearly 100 applications supported the site, arguing the convenience of the location to shooters and the social and economic benefits of the club.
The clubs have been working on their shooting range plans for more than a year.
State Government forced the clay target shooters to leave their century-old Eastern Park headquarters in 2008 over environmental concerns about lead shot and target debris. Field and game shooters were also left with no home in 2004 after their landowner sold its Wurdiboluc site.
Officials from the Geelong Clay Target Club and the Geelong Field and Game Club did not respond to the Independent’s calls for comment.