southern counties shooting ground to become solar farm.

[garry2749]

Hi everyone

Sad news for shooting it looks like Southern Counties in Dorset is set to be turned into a solar farm.Not good news for

trap shooters of all disiplines and of course our Olympic champion will have no where to practise.

Southern Counties has been around for a long time and can accomadate all forms of shooting.It plays host to various

counties for use in there county championships each year.

Dorset will no longer have a ground to hold events from and will have to fold.

All efforts are going to be made once planning permission is applied for at the local council for change of use,to try and keep our shooting here

going,

England selection today at Southern with over 150 entries very well laid out expertly run.  This is going to be one hell of

a loss to shooting.

Any thoughts from the people her and any ideas that may help will be welcome.

:fie:

 

[Salopian]

You reap what you sow.

 

[watchman]

Oh bollocks

 

[** Pending Removal **]

I heard that we are about to see a petition soon (Cpsa has been reading the comments.....better late than never).

However it also seems if the information is correct....that both SC and the farmer neighbour are doing the solar planing together..... What a turn up for the books.........if it is all true..!

 

[EdSolomons]

Seems simple to me- more money from solar farm than shooting = ground to be re developed?

I'm not sure a cpsa petition will chane their mind?

 

[Hawkeye]

What is the point of a petition if the owner want's to close . Like I said earlier in the week , forget it and move on. Concentrate instead on replacing it somewhere else.

 

[Will Hewland]

To quote the great Tommy Cooper:

It's not the principle; it's the money..

 

[garry2749]

You are correct the farmer next door is in on it as well

solar panels must return a health income.

We can try with a petition anything to try and keep it going.

 

[** Pending Removal **]

For clarification......I was not advocating a petition....it is too late now.....anyway. I was simply passing on the info received today...

 

[Jan Powell]

The CPSA have some questions to answer. I accept if the owner is intent on closing there is nothing that can be done but it seems to me the CPSA have done little to persuade him not to. Their lack of communication is also very poor. Even now, with the ground on the brink of closure, they're saying nothing. Many shooters will be sorely let down by whole saga.

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Well they should know all about it because the grounds manager is a Cpsa director.....so it will not be any surprise ....!!

 

[Will Hewland]

Sad tale. This ground has been there a long while. No idea how long, but as a kid I was racing in karts at the 'Clay Pigeon Raceway' ; the kart circuit adjacent. That was 1976.

 

[tiptop]

Can't see as it's got naff all to do with the CPSA if the ground/land owner and the farmer next door can make more out of a solar panel farm then there is nothing anybody can do about it.

Any ground is a sad loss,as apparently we have just lost Newbold as a sporting ground, but get real unless there is somebody with the cash to buy both out then it is more likely all over bar the shouting.

As for change of use if they have a green council down there then lead and noise pollution v green electricity will also be a no brainer. 

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Of course you are quite right...there is nothing Cpsa can do or anyone else can do.......so i understand your take....no point losing sleep over it.

 

[Salopian]

No point in losing sleep over the loss of Southern Counties  to what appears a very lucrative business proposition to all those involved.

What is worrying is that this appears to have happened with the full knowledge of a CPSA director who appears to have done nothing to alert anyone's attention to the impending situation.

 This ground loss should not be blamed on the CPSA in any way, apart from highlighting the type of individual that we the membership have chosen to elect to represent us in the South West????? Perhaps it is too crass to point out that we may be shooting clay pigeon shooting in the foot by electing people who appear to only be self serving.

 

[snipey]

I will have to wait and see how everything pans out, but the way things are looking I'm seriously considering a shooting 'retirement'!

Once SC closes that leaves 2 'local' skeet grounds:

- brook bank who are rumoured to have said that try will put there prices up once SC closes, the value for money side of me would question this!

- Broadmoor an ok/cheap little ground, but very affected by the weather and closes for 4 months during the game season.

Shooting comps twice a month is not going to be enough!

In fact the only other disciple which maybe slightly more viable would be 'nodding dog'/dtl, but I have no interest in that!

 

[RobertBeard]

Has the SW director not attended many meetings recently. I thought I remember someone saying that. Perhaps he should resign in all the circumstances?

 

[snipey]

Robert, my understanding is that the SW region representatives haven't attended any meetings in quite some time!

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Who cares about meetings.....that would be politics.....and we are all bored with that......we just want to go out and shoot :smile: