Row brews over floodlight bid
NEIGHBOURS are up in arms about plans for a school to extend the opening hours of its outdoor sports pitch.
Staff at All Hallows Catholic College, on Brooklands Avenue, want to allow the facility to remain open until 10pm on Monday to Friday and until 6pm on weekends and Bank Holidays.
It means that its floodlights will remain on for an extra 30 minutes on weekdays and two hours at other times.
But neighbours claim the floodlights are already a problem. They also say that the later time will increase the number of adults using the services, who they blame for using bad language, beeping car horns and urinating by users of the pitches.
In planning documents the school said a time switch will automatically turn off the floodlights a few minutes after the agreed time, adding: “There is a lot of demand for use of the sports facilities. As such, the request is for slightly increased hours to make the facilities available to more users.”
But neighbours have let their feelings known via the council’s planning portal.
Justine Clowes of Oxford Road said: “Despite games ending at 9.30pm players regularly remain behind.
“Bad language, beeping of car horns and urinating into trees in front of our windows are activities regularly undertaken by people who use the pitch in the evening.”
Gemma Moorhouse, of Holly road, said: “The later use of the pitch will invariably be used by adults rather than directly used by the students at the school.
“The noise pollution generated by these adult teams, e.g. 5-a-side, is significantly greater. These games are aggressive, highly vocal and result in lots of bad language.
“This is already intrusive on family life and allowing this to continue late into the night will be disruptive.”
Tony Billings, headteacher at the school, said he takes the complaints of residents ‘very seriously’ and that the application has the support of the Football Foundation and is designed to encourage grass roots football.
He said: “We take any comments and complaints from neighbours very seriously and have always followed up any concerns with football teams swiftly and directly, keeping neighbours up to date with actions taken. We are not aware of any recent complaints but will continue to investigate those that do arise in the same robust manner.”