Home Affairs Minister Dr. Virginia Albert-Poyotte, responding to reports of plans for a shooting range in Balata, told reporters she wants to be fully involved.
But the Babonneau MP disclosed that no one had officially contacted her.
Concerned Feree and Tuxedo Heights residents wrote an open letter to the Executive Secretary of the Development Control Authority (DCA) on January 18.
The proposed 5.62 hectares site currently has a quarry.
And the DCA, in a public notice, invited residents or landowners to make comments and recommendations in writing on the proposed range by January 23.
Regarding the proposed shooting range, the Minister of Home Affairs explained that she wanted constituents to be fully informed and their concerns addressed.
“If they are not comfortable with it, it is one that I will draw to the attention of government that based on feedback from the constituency, we may not give permission or ask government not to give permission to allow that activity in the community,” Albert-Poyotte told reporters.
The Babonneau MP told reporters that the proposed shooting range site is heavily populated.
“When you fire a bullet, the sound is not limited to the area. It goes very far, and it could be a disturbance and a nuisance to the people in the community,” Albert-Poyotte stated.
Regarding the DCA’s January 23 deadline for written comments and recommendations, the MP said she would have to step in early and contact the agency to express the need for more time for consultation with the residents.
“DCA had to give directives on how they could channel their feedback to the authority so they get a genuine reflection of what the people are saying. Because one person may say something, but if we do a survey and we get the result then we can use that as a basis on what the feedback is from the community,” Albert-Poyotte explained.
Headline photo: Courtesy Joel Moysuh (Unsplash)
