By Graeme Paterson, PA News
NEIGHBOURS FIGHT OLYMPIC HERO'S 'NOISY' RANGE
The family of Olympic gold medal winner Richard Faulds
are locked in a planning battle with neighbours who have
objected to a clay pigeon shooting range at their farm,
it emerged today.
Neighbours near the Faulds' farm in Longparish, near
Andover, Hants, have launched a High Court legal challenge
to the range being given planning permission as they claim
it is too noisy.
But Richard now hopes his victory in the Men's Double
Trap event in Sydney will win over the objectors. He needs
to hit 200 clays a day three times a week in training at
the farm to hone his skills,
"The gold medal should keep them quiet. I don't think
they can complain about that," he said.
After planning permission was granted in October last
year, two members from the Longparish Residents' Action
Group instigated a High Court judicial review on the grounds
that the council had not given them the opportunity to
comment on results of noise tests carried out at the farm.
"There has been a legal challenge by members of the
local residents' action group to the decision to grant
full permission," said Keith Harrold, a solicitor at Test
Valley Borough Council.
"High Court action has been completed and the decision
to grant permission is about to be quashed.
"The planning application will become live again and it
will go back to the council for reconsideration.
"The issue was about whether we had properly consulted
local residents about various noise tests carried out to
assess the impact of the shooting range. For one reason or
another that wasn't done."
Once full permission has been quashed, the Faulds will
still be able to run their range with temporary planning
permission until November this year.
Richard's father Bruce Faulds said they had run the
range on temporary planning permission for seven years
before full permission was granted last year.
"We have had seven noise tests which have all been
within the planning requirements," he said.
"It's just a little group of people that are objecting.
They have found a technicality which they are able to
challenge the council on."
Sport England said Mr Faulds has benefited from Lottery
money awarded to him personally and to his team.
He had been financially assisted by its World Class
Performance Plan since the start of the Olympic year.
And the English Target Shooting Federation, which sent
the Great Britain team to Sydney, was given L130,000 by its
Lottery Fund.
The money also supported Ian Peel, who won a silver medal
in the men's single trap competition on Sunday.
Sport England chairman Trevor Brooking said: "I would
like to offer my congratulations to Richard for his fantastic
performance which has taken us past our gold medal total for
Atlanta 1996.
"Both Richard and Ian have raised the profile of their
sport with these medals and it is great to know that support
from the Lottery has helped contribute to their success."
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