LIHUE >> A request by the Hawaii Army National Guard to erect a fence closing off nearly 10 acres at the Kekaha Rifle Range has been approved by the Kauai County Planning Commission.

National Guard officials told the commission the fence is needed to deter vandalism, to control access and to provide security.

The planned 6-foot-tall, 1.2-mile-long fence is to be topped with three strands of barbed wire. It will be constructed along the eastern, western and southern boundaries of the range.

Last January, the commission approved an Army request to install a fence 102 feet from the shoreline. Rifle Range is a popular surf spot in the area.