Football club lights can be seen from two miles away

FLOODLIGHTS at a Watlington football pitch can be seen more than two miles away, according to residents.

People in villages including Britwell Salome and Brightwell Baldwin have criticised the brightness of the eight new LED lights which were installed at Watlington Town FC’s ground in Shirburn Road in September.

Critics have complained about the light pollution in the Chilterns Area of Natural Beauty and the hazard the lights cause for drivers, particularly those using the B4009.

Residents who live closer to the ground have complained about the light ingress into their homes. The ground is used most nights of the week.

There are three lights attached to each of the eight 8m-plus poles which surround the pitch. Each light emits a cone of light at 45 degrees.

The football club says it needed the new lights for health and safety reasons.

Chris Bidgood says the lights are visible from his home in Britwell Salome, more than two and a half miles away.

Speaking at a meeting of Watlington Parish Council, he said: “When I stand on my doorstep, I can see not just the amazing light spill, which looks like a spaceship on the horizon, but also see the actual four key lights that are obviously facing this way.

“It needs to be addressed. The spill is affecting surrounding villages and facing us in the countryside. Villagers in Pyrton and Shirburn have also expressed concerns about the impact of the lights.”

Speaking after the meeting, he said: “They’ve obviously had some lights there in the past but we think they’ve replaced the existing tungsten-style light bulbs with LEDs. I can see it from the first floor of my house, in my bedroom, and it looks like four car headlights. It’s an enormous haze.”

Mr Bidgood said that the lights were more like those used for industrial estates and car parks and were unsuitable for a football pitch.

He said: “An example of this is the poles in the corners of the pitches would normally be orientated down into the bit where you kick your corner ball. But actually half the light goes behind the goal line. That is a very simple way of indicating that it is inappropriate.”

Mr Bidgood said he had been told by a planning enforcement officer at South Oxfordshire District Council that replacement lights were not a planning issue.

Leigh Greenham, from Brightwell Baldwin, said: “The eastern horizon is where all the planets come up. This month has been great for planets but we can’t go and watch the stars, certainly not through binoculars, because you’ve got this light.

“That’s not right when it is something that can be corrected. If it was a hospital car park or something, we might be feeling a bit differently about it. It needs a cowl and readjustment of the lights and probably only needs half the quantity of lights so can easily be fixed.”

Mr Greenham said he first noticed the problem in November when driving along the B4009 which runs towards Watlington from the motorway. He said: “I thought, ‘Blimey, what’s this massive light that we can see in the distance? Maybe they’re filming in Shirburn Castle’, which is often the case.

“I couldn’t believe it, as we drove by, to see all this light. It’s so glaring in drivers’ eyes because of the way the lights are oriented.

“It is a winter problem but that’s when car drivers are going to be on icy, dark roads in rush hour.”

He added: “It’s annoying because it shouldn’t happen, you shouldn’t be polluting the sky with light.”

Tim Anders, who lives next to the pitch, said his house was now lit up every evening “like a Christmas tree”.

He said: “I first noticed the light spill in early December. As long as we have lived here, there has been no light ingress and our house is usually pitch black. We moved to somewhere dark and protected and now the environment is a lot lighter than it used to be.

“Externally, the floodlights light up the whole road. I work in Postcombe, which is about two and a half miles away from the pitch, on the A40. When I lock up the office, I can see the hue of the lights.

“I have no objection to the light itself. I support football and think these activities are important for the community. The previous lights on the pitch never affected us. I just want the lights to be dimmer or deflected away from us.”

Colin Ludlow, chairman of Pyrton Parish Council, said he had received complaints.

He said: “There is slight concern for the dark skies, which are much valued around here.

“We also want to try to ensure that the new housing developments don’t have permanent illumination. I had no issues with the previous lights, which I think is the general position.

“The poles seem to be much higher now. I don’t think this has been carefully thought through. Planning specifications are normally quite specific but there seem to have been no restrictions put on these.”

Matt Reid, chairman of Watlington Parish Council, said his personal opinion was that the lights provided a safe environment for children and adults and were obviously superior to the lights they replaced.

He said: “Their only shortcoming is the lack of shielding to guard against unwanted light scatter in directions other than that of the training pitch itself.

“The pitch lies in the transition zone to the AONB and we take the issue of light spill seriously but, as with all light-related issues, the context has to be taken into consideration.

“The football club has tried to create a high-quality facility for its membership and there has been a snagging problem in the delivery of that provision. We should remind ourselves that these are volunteer organisations that are trying to bring benefit to the community.”

Councillor Reid said he understood the complaints and there was an issue to be resolved but he added: “The level of pressure being heaped on the football club is disproportionate in comparison to the problem that requires mitigation.

“These lights are on for a couple of hours for a few days of the week. The club has acknowledged the problem and has worked with the original supplier to find a solution, which I’m sure will be resolved shortly.”