LED floodlight plans for local secondary school backed by councillors

New LED floodlights are to be installed at a local school’s sports pitch after plans were given the backing by councillors.

Proposals for the all weather pitch at Ysgol Rhosnesni includes two 200 Lux LED lights on eight, 15m high hinged columns. Four will be located on either side of the pitch.

The application was submitted to “enable local clubs and organisations to access the facility for training and sports activities during the autumn/winter months when light is poor”.

The times of use would be 17:00 to 21:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 19:00 Saturdays and 09:00 to 17:00 Sundays.

However prior to Monday’s (6 September) meeting concerns had been raised by local residents about an increase in noise and light pollution.

Rhosnensi councillor Mike Davies said that whilst he was not speaking out against the application, some properties less than 100m from the pitch “will have an unobstructed view of the pitch with the results of light pollution, and also increased noise and evenings.”

He said: “If the pitches are being used up to 9pm, we can assume the people use these pitches would be adults or older teenagers.

“As we can imagine, adults are generally louder and also more likely to visit disruptive and use bad language etc, which will probably be heard in nearby houses.

“This current application proposes use between up until 9pm in the evening on Monday to Friday, also mornings nine till 7pm on Saturdays, and also 9pm to 5pm on Sunday, so there’s no day of the week it would not be used.

“The addition of lights will allow later use the pitches of the seven days of the week. We have five days of continuous light up to 9pm at night, which is a rather long time for residents to have to put up with the inconvenience, also considering that these will be school nights and children no doubt in bed.

“So myself and residents feel the timing is inappropriate and I would urge the committee to consider setting an earlier time for use of the pitches.

“I don’t have a problem with a pitch, I think it’d be great for the community. But 9pm five days a week, I believe is unfair and inconvenient for the community.”

Ysgol Rhosnesni headteacher Mr Brant said it was “essential that our students and the local community have access to a high quality, all weather pitch with floodlights” and that that the “impact of modern floodlighting would be very minimal on a site such as ours.”

He added: “This development will benefit hundreds – and that’s not an exaggeration – of local children of both primary and secondary school age. Our young people at Rhosnesni and our junior community football clubs are desperate for this facility.”

Commenting on concerns over light potential light pollution, planning officer Matthew Phillips said: “The details submitted with the application do clearly show that the spill effect of the light is contained to a relatively short distance around the edge of the pitch, and certainly wouldn’t result in the illumination of neighbouring residential properties.

“So the lights themselves wouldn’t give rise to to an adverse impact upon neighbouring properties.

“What I would point out as well is that public protection haven’t raised concerns about noise as a result of the use of the proposal.”

However councillor Graham Rogers proposed that the hours of use were limited until 8pm on weekdays and no use on a Sunday due it “being a day of rest.”

Some committee members with similar floodlights at sports pitches in their local area moved to alleviate concerns about light pollution, stating they have had few, if any, complaints from their constituents about light pollution.

A vote on the amendment to alter the hours of use for the lights was rejected by two votes to 15 – with a majority of councillors backing plans to allow the initial seven days a week use and times.