Living in a ‘war zone’
Jordan Kelly says she is horrified that a shooting range can operate near her rural Nelson home without a council permit.
Her neighbour, Michelle Conroy, says she is amazed it could be established without nearby residents receiving any form of notification.
‘‘It can go on for hours,’’ Kelly said of the shooting. ‘‘My ear canal hurts.’’
Kelly moved into her home off Gourmet Rd at Thorpe about October while she has a house built in the Marlborough Sounds. A commercial contracts consultant, she works from home, and said she did not know before moving in about the nearby Motueka Pistol Club range, which is on forestry land further along Gourmet Rd.
Mitigation measures such as earplugs and playing music made little difference, she said.
‘‘It’s a very unhealthy environment for humans and animals to be subjected to – just the same as living in a war zone.’’
Conroy, a long-time resident, said her late dog, Jemma, went from being ‘‘a normal, happy dog’’ to an insecure animal that would cower when shots were fired, after the range was established several years ago. This lasted ‘‘until she got very old and she went deaf’’.
Conroy is hearing impaired and said she did not always hear the shots herself. ‘‘[But] sometimes, they get some really big guns up there – huge boom, boom and . . . I can hear them really, really clearly.’’
Kelly wondered how a range had been allowed so close to residences, and said she was horrified to learn that a council consent was not required.
‘‘I’m gobsmacked in the first degree.’’
Conroy said she believed it was wrong that no consent was required and neighbours did not need to be notified. She had never complained before because she assumed the range had been through an approval process.
‘‘At first, it was [used] just one weekend once in a while, not as frequently as it is now.’’
Tasman District Council environment and planning manager Dennis Bush-King confirmed that the range did not
‘‘It’s a very unhealthy environment for humans and animals.’’ Jordan Kelly, resident
have, nor require, a resource consent for land use. Recreational activities in rural zones were permitted under the council’s rules.
Bush-King said he believed the range had been operating since about 2008, during which time only one complaint had been logged. It was a ‘‘noise-related’’ complaint made on April 8. ‘‘It was logged, [with] no further action taken.’’
Kelly said she had made three noise complaints, none of which had been actioned. She said she also believed her identity had been disclosed to the club, a matter that might result in her lodging a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner.
A spokeswoman for the Motueka Pistol Club declined to comment except to say the club was ‘‘seeking advice’’ over some of the claims made by Kelly.