Derbyshire planners have given the go-ahead for a football club to extend its night-time floodlighting late into the evening at its community pitches despite residents’ concerns about glare and noise.
High Peak Borough Council’s development committee approved Glossop North End Juniors AFC’s application at a recent meeting to vary its allowed floodlighting times at Glossop Community Sports Hub, on Cemetery Road, from between 8am and 9.10pm, to between 8am and 10.10pm, five days a week, between Mondays to Fridays, to accommodate an extra 300 users per week.
The application attracted a ‘significant volume of representations’ from neighbouring residents with a range of views, according to the council, including concerns about a potential increase in noise and light pollution.
Nick Reid, of Cemetery Road, told the meeting: “For me – to my own front room – it is 70 metres. The lights do cause considerable light pollution. That was with promised trees. I have light pollution directly into my front room.
“My second point is noise. It’s reasonably assumed it will be adults with noise from players and spectators.”
Mr Reid added he would expect the extended lighting and playing time to also attract more traffic to the neighbourhood and he does not think it is unreasonable to object to the extension on the grounds that he will have to suffer late evening noise in his front room.
The community sports hub, near Little Padfield, in Glossop, sits on about 0.3hectares of land with a number of pitches with floodlights positioned to illuminate the playing area with a primary pitch surrounded by ten floodlights on 15 metre high poles.
High Peak Borough Council claims there is 110 metres of open space between the main football pitch and the nearest homes on Cherry Grove.
Glossop North End Juniors AFC boasts 600 players and 45 teams offering a pathway for girls and boys – as well as disability support – so youngsters can play football with opportunities ranging from Saturday School programmes up to Under 21 level.
The club wants to extend the floodlight times by an hour during Monday to Friday evenings to enhance its ability to meet a growing demand by providing additional training slots and further supporting the club’s ongoing development.
But ten neighbours submitted concerns regarding a potential increase in noise and light pollution and even though there were also 15 letters of support for the changes highlighting the positive impact for the community, Mr Reid argued these were from people who do not live in the area.
The council considered public comments claiming that the existing lighting is already illuminating late into the evening and it is adversely affecting sleep quality and that these people had urged the council to ensure the interests of the club did not take precedence over the wellbeing of residents.
But the council has stated that while the floodlights may be visible from surrounding properties, their presence is not considered to result in significant or unacceptable harm to residential amenity given the distance to their windows and the increased activity will be contained within the site boundaries.
Cllr Adrian Hopkinson said: “I don’t think it’s so much about the lights – although the lights might not cause so much light pollution about the way it’s directed down – but it’s the noise… I would not be happy with that one little bit. The ball against the fencing and the players.”
He added that the noise of voices does carry and he suggested a noise assessment should be carried out before any decision but a council officer pointed out that the authority’s Environmental Health Officer has no objections to the application and they have not provided any information that there is a problem.
Cllr Gillian Scott said the hub is a wonderful facility and even though she recognised concerns about possible noise she also acknowledged that there is a need to meet the growing demands at the football club.
Club Chairperson and Football Development Officer, Ben Mills, said that by opening the facility later during the week the club can attract an older demographic of players and provide additional training slots, and the club will ensure its floodlighting continues to meet requirements to reduce glare.
A council spokesperson stated: “Given the separation distance of approximately 100 metres between the sports hub and the nearest residential properties, it is considered unlikely that neighbouring residents will face significant adverse effects with regard to light spill, noise levels, or increased activity as a result of the increase in use of the floodlights.”
The committee voted by a majority during the meeting at Buxton Methodist Church in favour of approving the change of hours after those in favour agreed that the extended use of the floodlighting is deemed to be acceptable.
Cllr David Lomax said: “I am happy to support this. It would be slightly ironic to support the use of leisure facilities and then to refuse this one. I am so pleased it’s getting very well-used. I would stress the lights are off by 10.10pm and if the landscaping can be put in – all the better.”
Photo: High Peak Borough Cllr David Lomax. Credit: Buxton Advertiser
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