09 Dec 23 - Further planning / ownership update.
We are pleased to advise that we have agreed terms with our landlord, ISC Properties Ltd, to purchase the land that the club sits on. Whilst it is hoped that the purchase will complete before Christmas 2023, legal processes are likely to drag the completion date into January. As part of the sales process, the Landlord has advised the Council of his intent to sell the land in order that the Asset of Community Value procedures are complied with. We have advised the Council that we have agreed terms with our landlord.
To those of you that took the time to object to the landlord’s planning application, the club is extremely grateful. The publicity surrounding the landlord’s planning application has only served to increase interest in the club and the waiting list to join is as long as it has ever been. We look forward to investing in the future of the club for many years to come.
01 May 23 - We are pleased to report that our Landlords’ planning application was unanimously refused by Wandsworth Council on 25th April 2023.
The planning committee’s reasons for refusal can be read here
Our Landlord, Brian Peck of ISC Properties Ltd, has tried on many occasions to redevelop the site and on every occasion has been refused at planning committee as it would see the loss of our historic rifle club and its members allotments which have been designated as an Asset of Community Value by Wandsworth Council.
There were over 450 objections to the planning application (and only one, highly dubious, support comment). Whilst these are not longer visible on the planning portal, the objection from the Southfields Grid Conservation Area Residents Association, which can be read
here, covers all the salient points admirably.
Twenty plus years ago our landlord got the large property developer, St Georges (South London) to try. They were refused, went to public appeal and still lost. In his latest attempt to get rid of us, he proposed a scheme which would have seen a children’s nursery and 3 small junior tennis courts built. There was patently no demand for either and many believed that it was simply a spurious, trojan horse application designed to remove the club from site, which would then enable fresh applications for housing, which is where Mr Peck has made a successful career through his main company, Mentmore Homes. Whether that was his intent, we will never know!
The Club is in the process of taking ISC Properties Ltd to court for a new lease and is confident that not only will we succeed but that all costs will be awarded against him. We hope that one day our landlord will consent to sell us the land but thus far, he has insisted on a price that includes a large development premium and we do not believe this would ever be consented to. As a Community Amateur Sports Club, the club is for the benefit of the community and we hope that will always be the case.
The planning application can be viewed
here
Wimbledon Park Rifle Club is a Members Only club that has been offering small bore shooting for over 100 years. Located in a secluded location in Southfields WPRC has a selection of outdoor ranges. All shooting is done from undercover so you are
sheltered from the elements enabling shooting to take place 12 months of the year. We have one of the few 100 yard ranges in London. Members can shoot on any of the ranges;
25 yard Prone ‘Small Bore’ 0.22 cartridge
50 yard Prone ‘Small Bore’ 0.22 cartridge
100 yard Prone ‘Small Bore’ 0.22 cartridge
10m air gun range standing with 4.5mm/0.177 inch pistols and rifles
For those new to the sport we have a good selection of club rifles and equipment allowing you to get a good feel for the sport without the need to purchase equipment. We run special coaching evenings for newcomers where the novice will learn how to safely and correctly handle a rifle and soon learn how to shoot at a competitive level.
Shooting is a competitive sport and all our members are encouraged to enter competitions that are held at the club. In some competitions a simple handicapping system rewards those that excel and WPRC members regularly compete at a County, National and International levels.
Small bore target shooting is a very levelling sport and has no age boundaries and women compete equal with men at most levels. The backbone of the club is the experience of its members, which includes Great Britain and England Team Coaches, Olympic Officials and those that have shot at all levels and who offer a wealth of experience to the newcomer and seasoned shooter alike.
Registered as a Community Amateur Sports Club No. CH12343
