A PAINTBALL games facility near the village of Inwardleigh was given the go-ahead by West Devon planners this week, despite concerns about noise and impact on wildlife.

Buffalo farmer Andrew Vallance has been given planning consent to diversify and use part of the land at Part Westacombe Farm, Inwardleigh as a paintballing area, but with a number of conditions introduced to reduce noise intrusion and loss of amenity to neighbours.

The seven-acre plot of land lies in a small valley south-west of the village and contains woodlands of a high nature conservation value.

Mr Vallance said he intended to continue farming and would run the paintball business on a part-time basis, with the site only likely to operate for one day a week with around 30 people using the facility.

Cllr Sonia Lindsay, ward member for Inwardleigh said: ?It is a finely balanced case. I feel now that we have established at least initially it is only going to be about one day a week, I feel the noise point has been over emphasised.?

Cllr Lindsay also dismissed the impact on wildlife saying the conservation groups which were consulted as part of the application process appeared ?incapable of getting their act together?.

Devon Wildlife Trust objected to the proposal arguing the area was an important tranquil habitat and insufficient information was available on the impact upon animals such as bats and doormice.

However, English Nature wrote in support of the application, arguing that as the animals at the site were mostly nocturnal they would not be adversely affected by paintball games, and indeed would benefit from the area being managed more carefully.

However, Cllr Lindsay said she was also ?extremely sympathetic? to the neighbour and a buffer zone between the paintball range and his property was ?absolutely vital?.

?Inwardleigh is a very pretty desirable little village,? said Cllr Lindsay, but she also felt it was imprortant to ?try to keep our young people in our villages.?

Nigel Percival of neighbouring Millbrook cottage speaking at the planning committee meeting said his residential amenity would be affected if the facility was allowed.

Mr Percival said he feared he would be able to hear ?excited young men shouting and swearing at each other? from his property, which was unsuitable when his grandchildren visited and were playing outside. He said this sort of behaviour would be ?offensive? and a ?serious loss of our amenity.?

Mr Vallance said the proposal would provide part-time employment for four people and would make use of a small area of land with little farming value at present.

He expressed his intention not to use pyrotechnics or amplified sound, and to provide the buffer zone between his land and the adjacent property.

Mr Vallance said paintball was not a very noisy activity as the object of many of the games he would be running was for the player to keep quiet and avoid alerting the opposing team to their whereabouts.

He acknowledged a whistle would be blown at the end of each game and in the event of any emergencies. ?I honestly believe there are noisier farms around,? said Mr Vallance.

The report presented to the borough planning and licensing committee at Okehampton on Tuesday, recommended refusal of the application, but planning officer John Milverton acknowledged it was a very ?finely balanced application?.

Inwardleigh Parish Council expressed their concerns regarding the impact of the proposal on the wildlife of the valley, access to the site, the possibility of noise and light intrusion. However, the County Highways Officer recommended that five passing bays be introduced in the narrow lanes to the sites.

A number of conditions limiting the operation of the paintball centre were introduced. These included the centre should not open more than eight days a month, with not more than four of those days being at the weekend, and should not open outside of 8am-6pm, or on Sunday mornings, when church services were held at Inwardleigh.