Clay Pigeon Shoot, Lincolnshire

We represented a group of residents who wanted to control the number of days, hours and type of shooting taking place at a local shoot.

The original planning permission had been granted in 2000 with a condition limiting the shoot to 50 days per calendar year, pre-bookings only. The following 20 years covered a complex planning history. The shoot changed hands in 2016 and since then has been operating well in excess of 50 days. The operator and SKDC both argued that there was no option but to grant permission for the 150 days, as the condition on the 2000 permission was (for various reasons) unenforceable. The fall-back position, they argued, would allow unfettered clay pigeon shooting on site. We showed, through careful legal argument and with the help of Horatio Waller, that the 2000 permission was still the valid fall-back position with the 50 days limit. The applicant had also submitted various noise surveys and evaluations. We instructed RF Environmental to conduct a desk-top review to cast significant doubt on the applicant’s assertions. After almost three years, the application was referred to the planning committee on 17 November with an officer’s recommendation to approve, and was refused by an unanimous vote. Perhaps most significantly, SKDC now accept the residents’ view of the applicable permission and the fall-back position.