Mosta residents and others opposed to the development of a shooting range in the Busbesija area of Mosta - primarily due to the noise it will generate - have launched a new organisation to help ensure that the authorities listen to their pleas.

"Mostin u Ħbieb kontra x-Shooting Range" (Mosta residents and friends against the shooting range) was officially launched at a press conference which was held outside the Żokrija secondary school in Mosta this evening.

The event was held outside the school - which was only inaugurated four years ago - as it is set to be greatly affected by the shooting range: it is less than 700m away from the nearest proposed shooting location. Group member Martin Pace, a retired teacher, highlighted that the World Health Organisation has highlighted that noise can prove greatly distracting to students, particularly those with special needs.

Fellow Mosta resident Lara Sammut - who also happens to be a teacher - pointed out that residents in the Żokrija area, in the Tarġa Gap area and elsewhere in the northern parts of Mosta are set to be affected by the proposed range.

Ms Sammut acknowledged that the noise emanating from the shooting range will not necessarily be very loud in all affected areas, but emphasised that the problem with such noise was not just its volume, but also the type of noise. She stressed that such a repetitive sound does not need to be particularly loud to prove irritating to residents, comparing it to the noise of a dripping faucet.

She noted that the proposed complex is huge in size - as large as fourteen football pitches - and that it would comprise six shooting ranges and 65 different shooting positions, thus compounding the noise problem. Mr Pace later highlighted that such a large complex would require many activities to be viable, and that it would thus likely be heavily in use.

Another group member, lawyer Bernard Grech, explained that the proposed project would negatively impact "our families, our lives and our properties," and that consequently, the need to unite and protest was felt.

Ms Sammut stressed that the impact on property values was a particular concern, especially if the noise proves to be unbearable. She noted that people in the real estate industry have advised the group that a noise nuisance would lead to a drastic reduction in the value of their homes, making it harder to sell and move elsewhere.

Dr Grech said that the group aimed to persuade the authorities that a site that was so close to residents and to a school was not a suitable place for a shooting range complex, whilst emphasising that the group was not opposed to shooting ranges in principle.

He also said that the group is hoping that the Mosta local council joins it in opposition to the project, stating that while it was informed that a good number of councillors were opposed, the council was yet to take a stand. The council, he said, had been elected to represent residents, as was confirmed by councillors' oath of office.

"We hope that mayor Edwin Vassallo steps up to the occasion, and leads the local council to take a clear and unequivocal position against the shooting range," Dr Grech remarked.

One councillor who has made his opposition to the project public, including through newspaper articles, is deputy mayor Ivan Bartolo, who attended the event along with a fair number of Mosta residents.

Also present were representatives of the Jesuit-run Mount St Joseph Retreat House, including its director Stephen Scerri and the Jesuits' provincial in Malta Fr Patrick Magro. The retreat house was the first to express its concerns about the project, fearing that it would destroy the tranquillity that has characterised it for the past 50 years.

The group has already established a website - www.noshootmosta.info - and a Facebook page which has attracted nearly 1,000 supporters in just three days, and Dr Grech explained that it will continue in its efforts to inform residents about the project, including through the distribution of leaflets

Dr Grech also said that the group - which, he emphasised, was not affiliated with any political party - would be speaking to local councillors, MPs, MEPs and representatives of the government and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority alike as it sought to ensure that the shooting range was not built in the proposed site.

It is also set to oppose the project in any appropriate forum, including by registering as an objector should a development application be presented before MEPA.

Dr Grech said that there was no justification for such an impact on residents' lives, as it would only benefit a few people and enrich even fewer people.

But he also emphasised that the group was hopeful that common sense would prevail.

(Photographs by Jonathan Borg)