Some 40 Mosta residents met outside the Mosta Boys Secondary School yesterday evening to launch a new group opposing the proposed shooting range about 300 metres away.

The group, Mostin u Ħbieb Kontra x-Shooting Range (Mosta residents and friends against the shooting range), said the intention was to convince the civil authorities that the range should not be built so close to residents, public roads and schools.

Speaking on behalf of the group, local resident Lara Sammut said the main concern was the impact of the noise of the range on the surrounding area. She pointed out that the nearest home was just 140 metres from the proposed site despite international guidelines recommending a distance of 1.5 kilometres.

“It’s not just the volume but the fact that it’s continuous. It’s like a dripping tap; it will soon become unbearable,” she said.

We call on the mayor to stand up and take a clear and unequivocal stand against the project

The development in an area known as Tal-Busbesija, proposed by the U-Group consortium, will cover an area of about 300 square metres and feature six ranges with a total of 65 individual shooting positions.

“If the land has to be taken, it should be for something that will benefit the whole community, not a few private investors,” Ms Sammut said.

She added that the group had spoken to property experts who had warned that the shooting range would have a negative impact on the value of property in the area.

Among the crowd were members of the Jesuit community at Mount St Joseph Retreat House, located 110 metres from the edge of the range, as well as the Nationalist deputy mayor of Mosta, Ivan Bartolo, who has written against the project in the media.

Bernard Grech, a local lawyer, said the Mosta council had yet to take an official stand although some councillors had already expressed their opposition in private.

“We call on the mayor to stand up and take a clear and unequivocal stand against the project,” he said. “If the council does not oppose the shooting range for the good of the community, then, in my opinion, it will have failed in its responsibilities,” Dr Grech said.

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