After being withdrawn last minute from a Meander Valley council meeting in November, the proposal to put a one-kilometre-long rifle range on Maggs Mountain is set for discussion this coming Tuesday.
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Brought forward by the Kentish Rifle Club, the plans outline a new gravel driveway and car park off North Maggs Road, which would lead to the one-kilometre firing line and end in a butt stop to limit projectiles from passing outside the range.
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The new proposal was brought forth following the closing of the Sheffield Rifle Club, which was the oldest club of its kind in Tasmania but was deemed unsafe last year after operating for more than 100 years.
The proposed replacement range would be situated between Maggs Mountain to the west and the Arm River Valley to the east on a site under the authority of Sustainable Timber Tasmania as a Permanent Timber Production Zone.
The month delay following the application's withdrawal and subsequent resubmission has done little to ease the growing tension in the surrounding community.
Chief among those concerns is noise. A consultant town planner's report into the proposal deemed the distance between the site and the surrounding properties sufficient to not require a more substantial review into the potential noise pollution.
"The nature of any noise being received at adjoining properties will be soft rather than loud," the report said.
That's been little comfort to nearby landowner Karin Febey, who has helped lead much of the pushback against the proposal since it became public.
"What happens if they build the range and only then realise the noise can be heard in the surrounding area?" she said.
In response to the public's concerns about noise pollution, Kentish Rifle Club secretary Edmund Stewart, agreed with the planner's report that the site's elevation - some 200 metres above the surrounding properties - will ensure visitors to the area won't be disturbed.
Mr Stewart also claims that - in the weeks since the report was first submitted - club and council members gathered at the site for a decibel reading to accurately assess the noise impact a gun shot would have in the surrounding area.
"We did a sound test by shooting a centerfire rifle twice," he said.
Mr Stewart claims the group was unable to record any a decibel reading at the surrounding huts or the nearby Arm River Education Centre - which sits lower down the mountain near the road leading up to the proposed site.
That said, the data from that reading has not been made public and the council have yet to confirm whether or not they were present when the reading took place. With that in mind, Ms Febey and other opponents to the proposal are calling for a more in-depth review of the potential noise impact a rifle range would contribute to the area.
"Where is the report? We're calling for somebody independent from the council and independent from the rifle club to examine the potential noise level," she said.
Despite the renewed effort to halt the proposal, the recommendation by the consultant town planner to approve the project still stands.
That recommendation brings with it two conditions: the range must operate for no more than 31 days per calendar year and firearms use must be limited to between 9:00am and 4:00pm.
For Ms Febey, however, her concern for the area stretches beyond official planning guidelines.
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"I just think the planning scheme plays just one part. The council has a duty of care to protect the serenity of this area," she said.
Nevertheless, for Mr Stewart and his other club members a range like the one proposed is necessary to continue practising their sport, as the closest long-distance rifle range is more than an hour away in Campbell Town.
"Target shooting is a legitimate sport and we should be providing venues for practice and education with firearms," he said.
It remains to be seen who's voice will ultimately resonate with council members. Ms Febey and others are expected to speak on Tuesday, December 14, when the proposal finally comes before council.
What do you think? Send us a letter to the editor:
Joshua Peach
Got a story tip? Email me on joshua.peach@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Got a story tip? Email me on joshua.peach@austcommunitymedia.com.au
