Shooting range plan next to park dropped

The range is next to Pugneys water sports centre, country park and nature reserve

Plans for an air rifle shooting range next to houses and a public park have been dropped almost five years after being submitted.

Yorkshire Field Sports applied to Wakefield Council for permission to operate the range on land off Denby Dale Road in Wakefield in 2019.

The greenbelt site is next to to Pugneys water sports centre, country park and nature reserve.

The range was opened in April 2018, but the operators were told by the local authority that it required planning permission. A retrospective application was then submitted but that has now been withdrawn.

It had attracted six objections from people citing possible safety risks to members of the public and wildlife.

Residents living in properties next to the site were also concerned about noise disturbance and loss of privacy.

'Peaceful enjoyment'

Crigglestone Parish Council, which objected to the plan, said: “The activity is within close proximity to residential homes, public rights of way and the public in general.

“It is not in keeping with the recreation activities held at the nearby Pugneys water park. The impact on the surrounding wildlife is a concern.”

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, another objector wrote: "I fail to see how such entertainment is compatible with the peaceful enjoyment of their properties by nearby residents."

Another resident opposed to the scheme said: “I didn’t buy a property near a nature reserve to have a shooting range developed.”

The council announced in June last year that Pugneys was to become a “wildlife haven” following the development of woodland areas and wildflower meadows.

The park is already home to a nature reserve on one of its lakes and has held Green Flag status since 2020.

Yorkshire Field Sports has not commented on the decision to withdraw the application.

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