Chris Bb Posted June 6, 2010 Report Share Posted June 6, 2010 I have just heard that our straw bale shoot, that has been going for 5 years or so, is being threatened with having to go "sub sonic" due to one lady who moved to the country and has decided that she doesn't like the sound of gunfire for 3 hours every other Sunday. She has, apparently, organised a petition and is going all out to shut us down or at least severly restrict our "noise footprint". How can one person stop the pleaseure of hundreds? What can we do, raise a counter petition? The shoot owner has already erected straw bales next to each stand to reduce noise in her direction and has also imposed a strict 10:00 - 13:00 only shoot timescale which everybody observes. Whay can't the daft woman just go somewhere else for three hours every other week? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted June 6, 2010 Report Share Posted June 6, 2010 Its not necessarily townies that object, I live right in the middle of the London suburbs and we get noise from both West London Shooting Ground and Holland & Holland but as far as I know nobody has complained. cant you send one of the farmer's sons round every shooting Sunday morning to give her a bloody good ****. Thats probably what she wants. Simple country solution to a simple country problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun4860 Posted June 6, 2010 Report Share Posted June 6, 2010 Depending on how far away she is, you might not have to. We had a guy move in about 500 yards away and after a while started complaining to anyone that would listen, (not many to be honest) we got a noise report done (paid for by our landlords) and we were under the limit..... we fire away from where he lives. Which way do you fire? Can you afford to get a report done? (about £600) Our complainer knew we were there before he moved there.......we just ignore each other now, we know we are safe from his whinging. shaun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted June 6, 2010 Report Share Posted June 6, 2010 Have a search there was a very helpful post on the same topic recently a guy who did noise measurements for MotoX courses. Don't do anything rash but follow the proper channels perhaps invite her to come and see what its all about and speak to your local campanologists and see what time they practice.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bb Posted June 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2010 Thanks guys; I gather that the shoot owner has invested some £6K in noise measurement (which he had planned to use to buy more traps), hopefully the local council will not automatically shut us down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun4860 Posted June 7, 2010 Report Share Posted June 7, 2010 Thanks guys; I gather that the shoot owner has invested some £6K in noise measurement (which he had planned to use to buy more traps), hopefully the local council will not automatically shut us down. Once the council had all the facts, they were quite helpful...... We shoot every sunday, 10-12.30 and wednesday evenings 18.30-20.30 (we always had this on our lease but hardly ever used it, now we shoot every wed. night in the summer.) What you need to do is get a proper noise report done, rather than try and measure it yourself shaun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted June 7, 2010 Report Share Posted June 7, 2010 You are not alone we’ve had similar things happen around here. Chap bought a local vicarage and within a few weeks of moving in was trying to get up a petition to stop the church bells being rung on a Sunday morning. They’d only been rung almost every Sunday for 700 years! His next complaint was that none of the villagers were making friends with his family and he wasn't made to feel welcome in the local pub...I think he moved! A chap on a local estate (landed not housing) blocked the farm track past his house (rented from the estate) because as he said he moved to the country to get away from noise and hassle and didn’t like tractors etc moving past his house early mornings and late evenings...needless to relate his tenancy agreement was not renewed when it became due. IMO anyone even thinking of moving to the countryside should have to undergo an exam to prove suitability...this is NOT a chocolate box type Disney world we live in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coupe312 Posted June 7, 2010 Report Share Posted June 7, 2010 if you don't like the noise get some ear muff or **** OFF. just does my head in when you move somewhere you do a bit of background checking if you don't like something don't move there!!! simple so much like what happen to holmefirth shooting school. a huge loss to the local area..... best of luck but if they get there teeth into you thats it. holmefirth was noise. then more noise limited operating hours. the lack of planning permissions for bails( due to high) then when thay was reduced lack of noise reduction then lead problems.... remember we are the miniority in our own countryside.... http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...showtopic=60820 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djrwood Posted June 8, 2010 Report Share Posted June 8, 2010 This really winds me up. Shooting is a country pursuit, its part of the package so if you dont like it **** off to the towns and cities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted June 8, 2010 Report Share Posted June 8, 2010 Well if it does shut down I'd have the field planted up with crops that need daily protection. Then you can get out there decoying every day! Have you talked to the woman? Maybe even invite her along to see what goes on? Quite often people like this kick off just because they've got nothing better to do. If the petition does go ahead then perhaps a village open day would be a good move as it would get more people on side? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted June 8, 2010 Report Share Posted June 8, 2010 Hi, If the petition has not yet been handed in, you could try and pre-empt the problem. Speak to the dept. at your local district council (for example ours is called "noise and pollution") that handles these matters. They have the necessary kit and might be prepared to come out and check the noise levels especially if you explain that you are trying all you can to ensure that it remains at or below an acceptable level. That's what they're there for and shouldn't charge. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coupe312 Posted June 8, 2010 Report Share Posted June 8, 2010 if you need a noise assesments doing the company i work for does them..... let me know if your intrsted i'm sure i can arrange a discount. location dependent and level of assesment you want we should anyone elses price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bb Posted June 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2010 Problem already with council as I understand it, measures to lessen our impact have alreay been made. Noise assessment also already undertaken by independent firm. It's amazing, the nearest village is some miles away in undulating counrty, all "local" residents are individual properties scattered around the fields, I understand that the woman lives over a quarter of a mile away over the crest of a hill, OK it's downwind but even so......... AND IT'S ONLY 3 HOURS EVERY OTHER WEEK! I would also mention that we were there first but that doesn't count, does it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coupe312 Posted June 8, 2010 Report Share Posted June 8, 2010 Problem already with council as I understand it, measures to lessen our impact have alreay been made. Noise assessment also already undertaken by independent firm. It's amazing, the nearest village is some miles away in undulating counrty, all "local" residents are individual properties scattered around the fields, I understand that the woman lives over a quarter of a mile away over the crest of a hill, OK it's downwind but even so......... AND IT'S ONLY 3 HOURS EVERY OTHER WEEK! I would also mention that we were there first but that doesn't count, does it. check all parameters on the report as suitble ranges must be used . a backgrnd reading should have been taken the week you wasn't shooting or straight before/after. the next chestnut they try is lead .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudpatten Posted June 13, 2010 Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 Google "Emsworth Sporting Clays" for the phone numbers and speak to the proprietor. They have just been through something similar and survived. I know from the above that, once the complaint was made, the local council were obliged to begin an investigation but that they were very sympathetic to the shoot organisers. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudpatten Posted June 13, 2010 Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 Google "Emsworth Sporting Clays" for the phone numbers and speak to the proprietor. They have just been through something similar and survived. I know from the above that, once the complaint was made, the local council were obliged to begin an investigation but that they were very sympathetic to the shoot organisers. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrispti Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 I have just heard that our straw bale shoot, that has been going for 5 years or so, is being threatened with having to go "sub sonic" due to one lady who moved to the country and has decided that she doesn't like the sound of gunfire for 3 hours every other Sunday. She has, apparently, organised a petition and is going all out to shut us down or at least severly restrict our "noise footprint". How can one person stop the pleaseure of hundreds? What can we do, raise a counter petition? The shoot owner has already erected straw bales next to each stand to reduce noise in her direction and has also imposed a strict 10:00 - 13:00 only shoot timescale which everybody observes. Whay can't the daft woman just go somewhere else for three hours every other week? Is it a private shoot mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted June 15, 2010 Report Share Posted June 15, 2010 (edited) I have acted for a recycling company who operated near residential housing. Whilst the key complainant "moved to the nuisance" (the recycling company had been there and operating there forever and a day) it didn't stop the complainant from trying every trick in the book to get the place shut down. Focus on what you want. You want this woman "on side" and not objecting. I would urge making friends with her even if she happens to be the most hateful person you have ever met. It's a difficult one to pull off, but it will give you certainty of outcome and it will be the cheapest route. Problem is, most can't take the loss of face or refuse the opportunity to have their say i.e. a row in a Council chamber or in a Court etc. My client spent fortune on environmental reports, continued monitoring and expensive acoustic fencing - as above, because of the fencing height it needed planning permission and despite no impact on the complainants (who were not even the immediate neighbours to the site) they all objected to the planning application for the acoustic fencing. Yes it got to the point where the complainants refused to help my client to help them. My client offered to buy their houses on the QT and at above market rate - they refused because they had become so entrenched and all consumed in "the fight" which they refused to walk away from. The noise issues were ultimately settled in favour of my client, after considerable cost, delay and restrictive working hours (no more weekend operation of the site). The last I heard was that the noise objectors had turned their attentions to the possible "contamination" issues and were commissioning further environmental reports to see if contaminants were being released from the site...... Edited June 15, 2010 by Mungler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bb Posted June 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2010 Is it a private shoot mate :( Not private but not exactly a commercial operation either. It's a friendly club with a hundred or so (?) members. We meet every other Sunday 10:00 - 13:00. I'm nothing to do with its running, just a (so far) very satisfied member not looking forward to going sub-sonic or to other more commercial local operations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.