One neighbour of Middle Road man Stephen Marsden told the Larne Times that people have "had a bellyful" of clay pigeon shooting which, he claimed was "horrendously loud" on occasions.

A group of some 15 objectors have made representations to East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson and Islandmagee councillor John Mathews and both the Department of the Environment planning service and the environmental health department at Larne Borough Council have launched investigations.

Cllr Mathews said he had received complaints about the shooting "on a regular basis". He described it as "an intolerable situation", adding, "It's something that can't go on."

In November last year the Larne Times reported that environmental health officials had received an undertaking from Mr Marsden that there would be no shooting at weekends, but an irate caller to the Larne Times claimed the agreement was broken within a short period of time.

The neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said local people could never be sure when a shooting session would begin or end.

"You can't sit outside and relax, because if there isn't shooting going on you're just waiting for it to start," he added.

"You can't even enjoy your garden because you don't know when it's going to start. There was a time lately when it was going on for one-and-a-half and two hours at a time, five or six days a week. Other times it might only be for 10 minutes, but then they could be out again later in the day for more."

The neighbour said, "There are about 15 of us that are affected and we are all basically p---ed off because he doesn't have any respect at all for his neighbours. Who would shoot round people's houses anyway? I do a bit of shooting myself, but like everybody else I go out into the country, where there is nobody near you."

Asked to describe the noise level, he replied, "If there isn't any wind it's horrendously loud". He added, "In my eyes, he (Mr Marsden) just doesn't give a damn about his neighbours and does what he wants, when he wants".

As reported previously, planning approval for clay pigeon shooting is required only if the activity is carried out on more than 28 days in a year.

Mr Marsden denies complainants' allegations that he exceeds the limit and that he provides lessons on the property.

A spokesperson for the planning service confirmed that it is "currently investigating alleged breach of planning control in the Middle Road area of Islandmagee".

The agency had "no record of any application or permission to provide shooting tuition" at the site, said the spokesperson, who added, there was "no record of any application or permission for a 100-foot tower" – pictured.

STEPHEN Marsden is adamant he is acting entirely within the law.
He vehemently denies he exceeds a 28-day cap on shooting and insists he has tried in the past to accommodate the complainants.

When contacted by the Larne Times, Mr Marsden spoke at length on and off the record about the controversy.

"I'm not doing anything wrong here," he maintained. "I'm doing everything within the law."

As a result of complaints a number of statutory bodies had visited his premises. He said, "The planners have passed it, the police have passed it, health and safety, environmental health – all the bodies. I have pubic liability insurance, first aid; all the boxes they asked for have been ticked."

Mr Marsden said he believed the complainants had formed "a syndicate".
"Everybody that is complaining – it's the same people every time," he added. "I have great neighbours and I have a few that keep going down this line and now you have a syndicate."

He argued, "They are making a mountain out of a molehill."

Mr Marsden asserted that, "The neighbours who live close to me, I have no problem with them. It's the ones a mile and a mile-and-a-half and more."

Asked to comment on claims that he exceeded the 28 days allowed under legislation, he replied, "The shooting I do wouldn't even come close to it."

Mrs Marsden said the regulations permitted shooting between an hour after dawn and an hour before dusk. He said he refrained from starting until around 10am and that shooting at home on Saturdays was infrequent. He said on most Saturdays he was competing at various international events.

A world record holder, he said he took part in competitions all over the province and at international events. He had travelled to Argentina, Kenya and various European countries.

It is Mr Marsden's contention that a half-hour shoot on his own land does not constitute a full day's shooting. His argument is that the timing is incremental and said he maintained a diary of his sessions. He claimed that on one occasion he had been accused of shooting on his premises when he'd been in Argentina.

He also said shooting on his own property was "seasonal", adding, "Over five months of the year there isn't a shot fired." There was, however, a clay pigeon shoot "down the road" each Saturday.

"Within six field lengths from me, within a mile, there is another clay pigeon shoot every Monday night for three or four hours," he added.
On his property, Mrs Marsden suggested, "If I fire 10 shots in 20 minutes it's finished."

Mr Marsden described shooting as his "hobby" and denied making a living out of it. The Larne Times has been shown a magazine advertisement which publicised "shooting tuition" and "one-to-one coaching by Stephen Marsden" and highlighted the provision of a 100-foot tower.

Mr Marsden said the publication had been produced to promote a game fair. It had been placed in the magazine free of charge because the organiser had invited Mr Marsden to provide safety instruction for juniors.

He denied he gave lessons at home. He said, "If I have a friend here, one of my shooting friends, and he says, 'Have a look and see what I'm doing wrong,' I'll have a look and tell him what he's doing wrong and that's it. It's not a shooting lesson.

"We're talking an hour, maybe half-an-hour." Mr Marsden added that he might not shoot again for three or four days."

He referred to a list "as long as your arm" where he gave safety tuition to juniors and beginners at venues including Glenarm estate, Red Hall estate and a shooting club in Ballymena.

"I don't really coach at home. If somebody in Islandmagee wanted to sort a problem I would take them up to my place," he said, adding that he "wouldn't call it lessons".

He said he had agreed previously to restrict shooting at home on Saturdays, saying, "I don't want to shoot every Saturday, but if I want to I want to be able to do it and I'm not going to tell you I'm not going to shoot on a Saturday – full stop – because I tried that to try and help the situation and it didn't help the situation at all."

He reckoned he had "shot two Saturdays in about two months", adding, "I want the option, but it's not purposefully to annoy the neighbours."

For illustration purposes, Mr Marsden said he would be entitled to organise a charity clay pigeon shoot, explaining that the "average" 100-bird shoot would make "a hell of a racket, but I don't want to do that, but I don't see it's upsetting anybody firing 10 or 20 shots".