AN archery club’s move to build a new clubhouse has been turned down by the council because of its “inappropriate” location. 

Droitwich Archery Society revealed plans to build a new clubhouse and indoor archery on the outskirts of Hanbury near Droitwich, but the move has been turned down by council planners for proposing to build on protected green belt land.

The existing outdoor archery range was built at Six Gold End in Salt Way, Hanbury, in 2017 but the club said it needed to build an indoor facility for members to practice during colder weather.

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The town’s archers also said the new clubhouse would provide “much-needed ancillary facilities including meeting, social, and indoor training and coaching space year-round” and would help the club keep and attract more members.

“[The existing] limited facilities provide no shelter from adverse weather, no meeting space nor equipment maintenance area considerably reducing the club’s appeal to archers across the county and limiting regular use to the summer months for most members,” the club said.

Planners at Wychavon District Council said the proposed clubhouse and indoor range were “visually unacceptable” and the archery society should be allowed to build on ‘strictly controlled’ green belt land.

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The council added that community facilities were not among the few exceptions that could be made when building on protected green space.

For many years, the club has used Droitwich High School as its venue for indoor practice and sessions have since been “severely limited” to twice a week because of availability and higher costs – particularly with the school needing its hall during exams.

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A statement included with the application said: “Whilst the range offers one of the best outdoor shooting opportunities for target archers in the county, the club and its members are severely disadvantaged by the lack of a clubhouse which would offer a focal point for formal and informal meetings, as well as for social gatherings, coaching, equipment training and maintenance.

“The club cannot currently offer shelter from the weather and no dry environment in which to provide support facilities generally, for anyone injured or needing special attention or for the judges and others in charge of any competitions.”