Controversial plans for floodlights at a Leyland school given the go-ahead - here's what it means
Controversial plans to install eight flood lights at a Leyland high school have been passed - despite objections from worried neighbours.
Bosses at Academy at Worden in Westfield Drive applied for permission for the lights on four columns, to illuminate their existing hard-surfaced playing pitches. Their agent said the lights were needed “to increase the use of the existing playing pitches throughout the year” and proposed use until 9pm on Monday to Fridays and up to 5pm at the weekends.
The lighting columns would be 10.2m tall, located at the sides of the pitches, and lighting would be angled downwards into the site.
The nearest housing is 63m away, and three residents submitted objections to the council, their concerns focused on the glare of lighting into their homes, increased traffic and increased noise levels. One neighbour said: “Already the school has huge events on which last all day. These events cause mayhem on the surrounding roads, we feel that increasing the capacity to have more events on especially darker months will compound the issues raised.”
South Ribble’s Environmental Health team also made comments about noise on the pitches and ball strike, but an officer batted them away, saying: “as the proposal does not relate to installation of pitches these comments cannot be taken into account at this time.”
They continued: “It is unlikely that subject to conditions, the proposal would impact on neighbouring residents at such distances, although hours of use proposed by Environmental Health are deemed insufficient, whilst those proposed by the applicant excessive. As such a compromise of 8am-8pm Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm Saturday and 9am to 3pm Sunday has been agreed with the applicant in the interest of residential amenity, but to allow full use of the facility at weekends.”
The proposal was approved, with conditions. One was that the lights will be fitted with timer controls which will be maintained and retained, unless agreed in writing with the Local Planning Authority, lights will be turned off 15 minutes after the final time permitted each day, and that prior to their first use, all lights will be fitted with spill shields to safeguard against light glare and light spill to the residential properties on Redwood Avenue.