Plans have been approved for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club to turn floodlights on more often during bad weather.
The cricket club asked for permission to go beyond the previous permitted maximum 15 days a year, after concerns that bad light during overcast weather was disrupting matches and was unsafe.
Local residents complained to the council’s planning department that the floodlights were “blinding” and like looking into a car’s headlights on main beam. But nobody spoke against the plans when the development control A committee voted to approve it on August 13.
It’s unclear exactly how many extra days the cricket club would use the floodlights, given the varying nature of British weather. The decision over when there is “bad light” would be taken by an umpire on the day of the match. The plans were unanimously approved by councillors.
The floodlights can only be turned on until 7pm between April and September, and will not be used in the winter months.
Labour Councillor Zoë Peat said: “It’s mostly going to be used in the daytime so it’s not going to affect the local ecology, it’s not going to overly affect local residents. It’s important that we make sure our local teams, sports and culture are well maintained and have the ability to continue to do the sport that they love and that brings our communities together.”
Similar top-up usage of floodlights, during days with bad light, is allowed in other urban cricket grounds in cities elsewhere in Britain. The initial concerns of neighbours are thought to have been allayed due to the cricket club making clear they lights are only used from April to September, and not during the winter when the sun sets sooner.
In the longer term, Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is planning to move to a new home. They have played at Nevil Road in Bristol since 1889, but could soon relocate to a new site near the M5. Swanmoor Stoke is near the Wave and the Wild Place Project, less than a mile from Junction 17 of the motorway, but any potential move is still several years away.
The application was called in for the committee to consider, by Green Cllr Emma Edwards who represents Bishopston and Ashley Down. However she was unable to talk to the committee about the plans and the views of residents. There were also concerns that the call-in was made many months ago.
By Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service