Actor Vinnie Jones has sparked controversy after submitting a planning application to build a shooting retreat at his farm in West Sussex. The proposal has drawn over 12,000 objections, with campaign group Protect the Wild leading efforts to block the development.
The application for Blackwool Farm in Ebernoe seeks to convert empty farm buildings into seven units of 'bespoke accommodation' for 'sporting activities', including shooting. If approved, the existing structures would be demolished and replaced with new facilities.
In an open letter to Chichester District Council and the South Downs National Park Authority, campaigners argued that the development would add 'further strain on wildlife' and 'hand over shared national landscape to a tiny, wealthy minority'. They stressed that national parks should be for walking, nature recovery, and public access, not commercialised bloodsports.
Members of the public have also written directly to the National Park Authority, with one objector stating that national parks should 'exist to protect wildlife, not to play host to shooting tourism'. The council is yet to make a decision on the application.
