Island Shooting Club's Outdoor Range Could Be Upgraded With Works Scheme

An outdoor range belonging to a ‘long-established’ Isle of Wight shooting club could be upgraded with a works scheme.

The Shanklin Rifle and Pistol Club (SRPC) lodged an application with council planners to build a new building with external firing points, an indoor range and a club room at its Downend Chalk Pit site near Arreton.

The facility is ‘regarded as one of the finest outdoor ranges in the south of England’ and the proposal will ‘further enhance its appeal’, the Andrew White Planning Consultancy has said.

Its submitted statement says:

“SRPC is a long-established club currently operating from two sites on the Island including Downend and Sibden Road, Shanklin.

“The indoor facility in Shanklin is showing signs of its age whilst having other limitations.

"The most sustainable solution for the club in the longer term is to establish a single base providing both outdoor and indoor ranges.

“We propose to replace the rather tired storage and shooting facilities at Downend with one single storey building.”

Arreton Parish Council declared its support for the application following its meeting on Monday.

County Hall’s public consultation on proposal 25/00794/FUL ends on July 4 and a decision has been scheduled for July 30.