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 last week.

Applicants hoped to erect six lighting columns 15m high, powered by mains electricity, to be used between 7pm and 10pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 3pm until 6pm on Saturdays.

But the authority’s planning committee decided the application should be refused because its members believed the plans would “exacerbate the level of noise and general disturbance to local residents to the detriment of their residential amenity.”

A total of 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 meeting on April 6 that 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 four and a half thousand lumens, and said that the floodlights would be “200,000 lumens”.

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

The council’s environmental health department state in a planning report that the lighting complies with guidance, and will produce a maximum illuminance of 5 Lux at residential receptors.

Applicant Kieran Gallagher, chairman of Kiveton Miners Welfare football club, told the meeting that 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.

He added that the lights would not be in constant use, and that the club had agreed to restrictions.

Neil Robertson, chair of Kiveton Park Miners Welfare Scheme added that the football clum aims to provide ‘an outstanding grassroots facility,’ to encourage ‘growth in football participation’.

Mr Robertson told the meeting that the club had improved the grounds, especially the playing surface, accessibility and ‘spectator experience areas’.

He added that additional car parking spaces have been created, ‘to help control overspill into neighbouring residential streets’.