After a long back-and-forth debate with WDC staff and faced with mounting costs of more than $3600, the McMillans withdrew their application before the consent hearing could be heard in front of an independent commissioner.
The club is now basing themselves at the empty Kaitoke Hall for indoor shooting, however WDC has informed them they will eventually need a resource consent for activities there as well.
Robert McMillan said the club's numbers had dwindled from 50 to about 30. "We've got to get [consent] in six months. We were frustrated and hacked off. Our guts is, we want to plead [for a place].
"I don't care what happens, so long as we can get another shooting ground somewhere."
McMillan said the conditions being recommended for the consent's approval were far too expensive such as paving a parking berm and constructing high safety fences on their property borders, which would have shaded neighbouring land.
"We passed everything, but every time the council said 'there's another thing'. We couldn't open till all these things were done.
"It got that costly, we just couldn't carry on."
However, Barrett said no conditions were imposed because it never went to a decision by the commissioner.
"The culvert was never an issue because they're already substandard in terms of [amount of] traffic using them. The preferred was parking inside the property, and there was plenty of space there."
The club would not face similar requirements for their consent if they stayed at Kaitoke.
"Indoor archery is a different game," said Barrett.
"Kaitoke [is] fine, it still needs a resource consent. They'd have to meet the safety guidelines of their own [national] association."
Barrett said WDC had tried to find a potential venue for the club, such as the Scout den on Duncan St in Wanganui, while the club could shoot outdoors on a reserve without needing a consent, just a licence to operate.
"We're keen to encourage and promote these activities - the key is if there is a detriment to the people around them.
"That's the process we were going through. We were surprised as anybody when the McMillans pulled out at the last minute."
Deputy mayor Hamish McDouall looked into the matter for the McMillans and said the club deserved a place to shoot as they could attract so many visitors to Wanganui for major tournaments.
"I don't think we can be choosers here. When you lose a national event like that - that's a lot of people [otherwise coming] here, a lot of good coverage.
"I wish it had gone through to the hearing. I think that's the mistake that was made.
"It wouldn't have been a slam dunk for the people opposing the archery club, in my opinion.
"It's just an extraordinary archery range. It meets with a lot of things we want in Wanganui."
McDouall said while WDC had no luck finding a place on their own land, any farmer out there with 200m of open territory could accommodate the club.
"It would be tremendous if they had some land near Fordell or Maxwell, or even up the valley."
Before the neighbours' dispute, the Marangai club had hosted archers from Manawatu, Auckland, Tauranga, and Wellington, along with setting up their own teaching classes and negotiating with Sport Whanganui to run a school holiday programme.
