Floodlights for football pitch refused as objector brings torch to meeting

Rotherham Council’s planning committee voted to refuse an application for lighting at Kiveton Miners Welfare Football Club.

Applicants hoped to erect six 15-metres-high lighting columns, to be used on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 7-10pm, and Saturdays, from 3-6pm.

However, committee members believed the plans would “exacerbate the level of noise and general disturbance to local residents to the detriment of their residential amenity”, after 16 objections were lodged with Rotherham Council, including a petition against the plans with 23 signatures. Residents raised concerns about light and noise pollution, and “parking issues”.

Objector Peter Clarke told the latest committee meeting he was concerned about the light from the floodlights and disputed the lumens figure in the application.

Mr Clarke shone a torch which he told the meeting was 4,500 lumens and said the floodlights would be “200,000 lumens”.

“This information you’ve got about how bright they’re going to be is absolute rubbish,” he said.

The council’s environmental health department state in a planning report that the lighting complies with guidance, and will produce a maximum illuminance of five lux at residential receptors.

Applicant Kieran Gallagher, club chairman, told the meeting the floodlights are part of plans to develop the football ground, which has been on site for 60 years – longer than some of the houses in the area – that they would not be in constant use, and that the club had agreed to restrictions.

Neil Robertson, Kiveton Park Miners Welfare Scheme scheme said the club aims to provide “an outstanding grassroots facility”, to encourage “growth in football participation”.

Mr Robertson told the meeting the club had improved the grounds, especially the playing surface, accessibility and “spectator experience areas”, while additional car parking spaces have been created, “to help control overspill into neighbouring residential streets”.

Coun Dominic Beck said he had been contacted by residents, who had “no qualms” about living next to a football pitch, but were opposed to the introduction of floodlights, “because of the blight they legitimately feel [it] will then have on their lives and their quiet enjoyment of their properties”.