Target shooting clubs at Golden Downs have taken financial hits and reduced their activities after prolonged noise complaints.
Nelson Pistol Club and Nelson Waimea Clay Target Club say the complaints made by a neighbour, who resides at and operates a nearby accommodation facility, has reached a point where Tasman District Council [TDC] has threatened to close the only safe and secure practice shooting facilities in the district.
However, a Tasman District Council spokesperson says while threats have not been made by council to close either club, it may take formal enforcement action if it considered that unreasonable noise levels were continuing.
Nelson Waimea Clay Target Club president, Martin O’Connor, says the club, which has between 60 and 100 members, had received communication from council about noise complaints lodged by the neighbour for about five years, which had recently been “pretty bad”.
“You only have to fire two shots to get a complaint, so it’s a bit ridiculous really,” he says.
“We have email contact [with the neighbour] and we have sat down and spoken with him, but he won’t talk to us these days… he wants us gone, basically.”
Martin says the club had followed TDC instructions to reduce its noise, but it had come at a cost.
“We’ve spent a lot of money on an acoustic engineer to try and figure out what we can do, but we’re not in the greatest position to reduce noise to the neighbour because we’re 10m below them, so it makes it very difficult,” he says.
“But we have come up with a system of temporary bale walls to experiment with and they’re proving reasonably successful, but a permanent fix with walls that are high enough would be like $150,000.”
Martin says the ongoing complaints from the neighbour, who has occupied the address since the early 2000s, had also affected club activity.
“We have limited our shooting to try and cut the complaints, but it doesn’t make any difference,” he says.
“We’ve had to cancel a national shoot just this last weekend with 100-odd shooters coming into the district because of all the uncertainties and threats from council. That would’ve been a money maker for the club which would have helped pay for trying to sort some of these issues.”
The TDC spokesperson says the latest noise complaint it had received regarding Nelson Pistol Club was on 6 August and three days later, on 9 August, had received the latest noise complaint about Nelson Waimea Clay Target Club.
Nelson Pistol Club president, Martin Ewing, says it had also made several adjustments to reduce its noise including hiring an acoustic engineer, installing acoustic barriers, and reducing its shooting activity.
He says the club, which has about 130 members and is used by police for its training exercises, had submitted a noise management plan twice to TDC who had been “happy” with its progress, but they were now back in the firing line.
“They’ve mentioned noise abatement notices and their email communications became increasingly threatening to the point where we went to a lawyer,” he says.
“None of this is cheap, we’ve spent thousands of dollars with noise consultants, built considerable earthworks and an acoustic wall on the range closest to the property. We’re back in a position where we’re spending limited funds from a club that benefits the public versus unlimited funds from ratepayers, so it seems kind of sad that you’ve got the council just working in the interests of one person and against the interests of the club.”
Martin says council should advise both clubs to work towards more “realistic” noise levels which he says have been monitored by a sound system at the neighbour’s property.
“They want a figure of 65db at the complainants’ house and if you know much about noise, people sitting around and talking in a room makes 65db… and we’ve got trucks driving past which are making more than 100db.
“That’s where the statement around realistic guidelines comes from because gunfire is a noisy activity.”
Nelson Pistol Club secretary, Christine Ewing, addressed a TDC meeting on 10 August on behalf of both clubs.
“The club has concerns that council’s communication is changeable and does not recognise the significance of shooting ranges in the community,” she said.
“The club provides a safe and supervised facility for non-members and visitors to use their firearms avoiding spreading casual use over multiple properties around the district including forestry blocks and public riverbeds which, of course, is unsafe.”
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Repeated attempts by Waimea Weekly to contact the neighbour by phone had failed.
The TDC spokesperson says council has a duty to investigate noise complaints and ensure that noise levels are reasonable.
“We are encouraging both clubs to work together in developing a reasonable shooting schedule and reviewing progress made through regular monitoring.
“We are encouraged by the steps taken to date.”
