Tunbridge Wells Target Shooting Club [TWTSC] in Warwick Park has been in the Borough Council’s sights as a location for new housing for the last 13 years.
While Tunbridge Wells Borough Council [TWBC] had promised to relocate the club, which was founded just after the Boer War in 1903 by the then Lord Abergavenny, it had been feared the authority’s plans would have triggered the end of the rifle club if it had to close for any period of time.
The land, which is used for target shooting, is owned by TWBC and is in a prime location in the town centre – ideal for residential development.
The authority had wanted to sell the site to developers so they could build five detached houses and garages, but the council has come under increasing pressure to withdraw its plans because of concern for the club’s future.
Lib Dem councillor James Rands had raised the issue of selling off sports facilities at a Full Council meeting, saying it ‘kills any club’.
While Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark warned of the danger of selling off sports facilities in his regular column for the Times [August 4] and said equal or better facilities should always be provided by the Council if they dispose of any land used by local clubs.
TWBC has now confirmed it is no longer seeking to sell off the shooting club’s land and has withdrawn its planning application.
Katie Exon, Corporate Property Manager at TWBC, told the Times: “We recognise that this is a valuable residential site that would have made a contribution to the Council’s housing target, nevertheless we made the decision to withdraw as things have moved on since the detail of the application was prepared.
“We are in discussions with the rifle club about a new lease and the Council is having more general discussions with local sports clubs about how they see their future plans.
“We would prefer to wait for the outcome of that before going any further.”
Shooting club Chairman Nigel Bent was unavailable for comment.
