Vinnie Jones faces backlash over plan for shooting retreat at West Sussex farm | OneFootball

Vinnie Jones faces a backlash over plans to create a shooting retreat at Blackwool Farm in Ebernoe, West Sussex.

According to yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk, more than 12,000 people have backed a Protect the Wild campaign urging Chichester District Council to reject the scheme. The former footballer turned actor is known for tough-guy roles in Guy Ritchie films including Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

The application proposes converting empty farm buildings into seven private units of bespoke accommodation for countryside sporting activities, including shoots, and demolishing an existing farm building.

Campaigners say a venue designed for shooting parties would further pressure wildlife that should be protected. They argue national parks should prioritise walking, nature recovery, education, tranquillity and public access, not commercialised bloodsports or luxury retreats, and that approving the plan would hand part of a shared landscape to a small, wealthy minority at the expense of wildlife the authority is bound to protect.

The site borders Ebernoe Common, which is managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust, and members have written to the South Downs National Park Authority calling for the project to be scrapped. Some objectors said national parks should protect wildlife rather than host shooting tourism.

The council will make a decision at a later date.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk