DELWYN DICKEY

Last updated10:45, May 28 2017

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The Vipassana Meditation retreat north of Auckland has concerns that a new pistol range being built nearby will disrupt the peace and tranquility of the area.

The Vipassana Meditation Centre north of Auckland is heading to the High Court in an attempt tostop a proposed gun club from disrupting its tranquility.

The centre's efforts to overturn a certificate of compliance through the courtnext month, which is seeing agun club opening in its quiet neighbourhood, could be a serious stumbling block to the project.

Last year Raymond O'Brien and Victoria Pichler were issued a certificate of compliance from Auckland Council for two pistol areas comprising a six-bay shooting range they planned to develop on their newly acquired lifestyle block in rural Makarau.

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Kirsty McKay from the Vipassana Meditation Centre north of Auckland is heading to court to stop a new pistol range from being built nearby.

Auckland council's manager of resource consenting, Ian Dobson, said under the council's district plan this is a permitted recreational pursuit in rural areas.

READ MORE: *Country's largest gun club to be built *Police allowed to use gun range *Police Association alarmed at gun club's ban

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Pistol shooter Raymond O'Brien is upbeat about the court hearing and is confident the range's certification will stand.

O'Brien and Pichler had plans to quickly expand the range from six bays to 30, including two shotgun ranges and a rifle range, with the backing of the Auckland Shooting Club which would make it one of the biggest facilities of its kind in the country.

Meanwhile, down the road between rolling hillsandsurrounded by native bush,up to 1500meditators a year hand in their cellphones, sit cross-legged and suspendall connection with the outside world for 10 days while they observe their breathingin silence.

Vipassana meditators are not the only ones upset with the plansother neighbours to the Tuhirangi Rd property were angry they weren'tconsulted. Many had only found out about the plans by accident on the club's website.

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The meditation centre isn't alone in its concerns about O'Brien's plans.

Auckland Council maintains neighbours don't need to beconsulted for a certificate of complianceand the bigger plan didn't need to be taken into account, as resource consentswould have been needed for parts of it.

"Without having received a resource consent application to assess, we cannot determine what parts of their proposals would require a resource consent," Dobson said.

While not a direct neighbour, theVipassanaMeditation Centre had serious concerns that noise from the gun club would be a serious distraction formeditators who have been coming to their nearby property forquiet contemplationfor over 30 years.

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Vipassana's clients have been coming to the centre for quiet contemplation for over 30 years.

The VipassanaTrust started legal proceedings in Decemberlast year, challenging the Auckland Council's granting of the compliance certificate. The case will be heard in the Auckland High Court in mid-June.

"The Certificate of Compliance could only have been properly issued by the Auckland Council if the proposed shooting range complied in all respects with the relevant district and regional plans and did not need resource consent," trustee Kirsty McKay said.

Auckland Council could not have been satisfied the activity did not require resource consent under the Resource Management Act,the trust alleges.

Auckland Council says it will abide by the court's decision.

O'Brien is upbeat about the court hearing and is confident the certification will stand.

"Even if it is voided, we still have a valid application. We would simply fix the things that need doing," he said.

But despitethe optimism,if the court maintains thecertificate shouldn't have been issued, therecouldbe some serious issues forO'BrienandPichler.

If certification is out, the gun club may not be able to operateon the site until a resourceconsent is granted.

The club is planning to openon July 1 for general membership.It has been confirmed Deputy Prime MinisterPaula Bennettwill officially openthe Auckland Shooting Club and Range Facilities on July 7.

Given the level of animosity from neighbours and some in the community, it seems unlikely Auckland Council wouldgrant aresourceconsentnow without eitherconsulting immediate neighbours or publicly notifyinga consent application.

-Sunday Star Times

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