New floodlights will be coming to tennis pitches at a Bracknell health club after councillors backed the plan on Thursday (February 13).
David Lloyd Royal Berkshire will install eight floodlights at its Nine Mile Ride leisure centre so tennis players can use its three courts when it is dark.
The health club had agreed to only use the floodlights until 10 pm on weekdays and 9.30 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
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But the Bracknell Forest Council Planning committee voted 6 to 5 to reduce the hours the floodlights can be used to 9.30pm on every day.
This decision could prove costly to the council if David Lloyd choose to appeal the decision.
Planning officers had stated reducing the hours in this way “would not be reasonable”.
Councillor Gill Birch wanted to reduce the hours even further, suggesting a reduction in hours to 9pm so “children sleep” but a compromise time of 9.30pm was agreed.
“The floodlights now are bad enough”
A group of Birch Hill residents were unhappy with the floodlight plans.
The report to the committee claimed the modern technology of the floodlights and the position of the courts means neighbours would not experience “adverse harm” from the new lights.
But some neighbours disagreed with this assessment, claiming the new additions would mean light creeps into their properties.
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Eleven letters were sent to Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) from six addresses objecting to the plans.
One Birch Hill objector wrote: “Writing on behalf of myself, father, mother, we all completely object to this.
“The floodlights now are bad enough shining through bedroom windows let alone the noise when we’re trying to sleep as they play tennis till very late.”
After these comments were received by the council, David Lloyd reduced the planned height of the floodlights from 12-metres to eight-metres, which was praise by councillors at the meeting.
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