Kate Ashbrook: 'Walkers, riders and cyclists will probably avoid the area'. Photo: Andrew McCloy
Campaigners are urging shooters to give it a rest – and preserve their peace on Sundays.
The Open Spaces Society is objecting to plans for clay-pigeon enthusiasts to be allowed to shoot on Sundays and bank holidays near a popular Devon walking route.
Southdown Adventure, which runs the clay-pigeon shoot at Yarnscombe, was granted consent in 2009 for its visitors to fire shotguns, but not on Sundays. The company now wants to extend shooting to the Day of Rest and change one of its permitted days from Tuesday to Monday.
But the society is urging Torridge District Council not to allow the application.
General secretary Kate Ashbrook said: “We are concerned about the loss of tranquillity in this quiet countryside, on Sundays when people particularly want to get out and enjoy the fresh air without disturbance.
“In particular, we are dismayed at the adverse effect this extension of the shooting period will have on the enjoyment of people wanting to use the unclassified road, Lashingcott Lane, alongside the site. The lane is available for walkers, riders and cyclists and is a pleasant, peaceful route.
“There are few places in this area of agricultural land and narrow lanes where people can walk, ride and cycle safely and undisturbed. Lashingcott Lane is one of them. The clay-pigeon shoot already wrecks people’s enjoyment of this area on most weekdays and Saturdays, and we strongly object to people’s Sundays being similarly disrupted.”
Ms Ashbrook also questioned whether shooting stands are far enough away from the lane.
“Sadly walkers, riders and cyclists will probably avoid this area,” she added.
The Southdown Adventure website details a variety of activities, saying: “We offer the ultimate in excitement and adrenaline all on one site.
“Experience the thrill of quad biking or MadTrax buggies; master the art of clay shooting or how about Zorb-balling?” It describes the site, 10km (6 miles) east of Bideford, as ‘North Devon’s premiere clay shooting venue’.
roy carter
24 February 2011i disagree myself and my wife go walking a lot i enjoy walking
i see no reason to stop anyone from doing what they enjoy on a sunday morning wether it's walking ,shooting or climbing .. what's a bit of noise it doesn't ruin your walk it's
all country ways !!!what next stop crow scarers on !!sundays
Victoria Paige May
25 February 2011I am a resident in the Huntshaw area and live a mile away from the shooting grounds, i wouldn't dream of moving and I only became aware that there was a local clay shoot due to its appearance in the North Devon journal about planning. During the winter months there are normally more shots due to the game shooting by other local farmers, but that is just simply country life. I am aware that the grounds are CPSA affiliated and it provides a safe environment for many people to practice clay shooting who may not usually have the opportunity.
The Bell View air field is neighbouring to the shooting grounds and is also very busy during the summer months with planes buzzing around the local area, again, this is just a part of life when living in the countryside.
Some people enjoy walking, some enjoy cycling and others may enjoy clay shooting, but everyone should be entitled to a choice.
Mr J Harvey
25 February 2011i disagree.
TDC would not have granted planning if there was a risk to walkers or an enviromental impact.
infact i seem to recall all the professional witnessess had no objections-regulations were complied with,the centre went out of its way to meet all the demands made-and noise tests showed sounds were within permitted ranges.
i visit the area frequently on sundays and quite often hear other people shooting shotguns-so why stop hard working decent people from trying to earn a living(which extends to employees)when others shoot unhibited?
if you want to cycle why not visit the Tarka Trail??It was created for people to walk and ride on.
Or ride or walk along the beautiful back lanes down through yarnscombe and off towards Torrington.
Theres miles of quiet country lanes and public footpaths to walk in this area-I bet if there was no development at Southdown the people objecting probaly wouldnt even go down there-its a washed out overgrown death trap for cyclists,ankle twister for walkers and someone has put a fence across to direct livestck-so how do horses get through?
Walkers/cyclists and riders have a far greater and more diversified choice of areas to carry out there hobby-shooters dont.
And as for Sundays being a day of rest?Lucky those that can take it-lots of us work to provide activities/shopping facilities etc for the market which demands these things 7 days a week.
Martin Smith
28 February 2011Southdown is a private business on private land - you can't just walk or cycle through it - its down in a dip and near the main road between Barnstaple and Torrington - it's impossible to hear or be disturbed by any of the activities taking place. I'm a very keen outdoors person and enjoy running, biking and walking around the Torrington area and to be honest local pheasant shoots make more noise than Southdown, so let a private business that employs local people to give many people the opportunity to enjoy new and exciting activities and bring much needed income to the area.
Martin Smith
28 February 2011On re-reading the article I would recommend the writer or any interested party to check the Ordnance Survey map of the area and find a single 'popular Devon walking route' or in fact any walking route within a two mile radius of Southdown area! However this does preclude the B3232 ramblers who regularly walk the busy main road to listen to the roar of traffic and articulated trucks that thunder up and down the main road! (joke!).
r tayman
02 March 2011clearly KATE ASHBROOK has not walked down lashingcott lane. ..
the open spaces society object to the shooting in that area..i cannot see why.
i found lashingcott lane and started to walk down it .
the first part off the main road was overgrown to say the very least, the last time anyone walked down this public footpath must have been years ago.
i was amazed about the general condition of the area..very very poor access this would be (an understatement).
this path is supposed to be a public right of way,it borders the clay shoot at southdown adventure park.
in no way is this footparth open to horses,cyclists,or walkers..the rubbish dump is 1 mile up the road from there but i thought i was walking through it.
the rubbish there was out of this world ..scrap metal,leaking oil tins,old trailers.....and some asbestos, blocked streams..as well..this was probably from farm biuldings...i understood this is against the law..so whats gone wrong here!!!
i walked back on the road and i met some locals and i asked them about the lane, did they know it was in that state from all of the rubbish ..they beleaved that the public right of way was removed some years ago by the owners of lashingcott farm ..if so they should be made to replace this lane into a useable condition..what right do they had to do this?? they dont!!!! i shall not go that way again i took some photos on that day...a very bad scene for all!!!!