Bangor Lawn Tennis Club is situated in an affluent part of the city
The courts where new floodlighting has been granted in Bangor
A controversial plan for floodlights at a tennis club in a Co Down city has been approved by the local council, despite significant opposition from locals.
76 letters of objection and a petition from 181 addresses were not enough to stop a plan to install new floodlights for three tennis courts at Bangor Lawn Tennis Club, beside Farnham Park, Bangor. The original proposal comprised eight columns at a height of 10 metres, but was amended to six columns of 12 metres.
Elected representatives at the July meeting of the Ards and North Down Borough Council Planning Committee on Wednesday (July 7) by majority approved the planning application, from Bangor Lawn Tennis Club. Seven councillors voted in favour of the application, and two councillors abstained from voting.
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There were no applications from any of the statutory consultees, and the council’s planning officers recommended the application for approval. There were six letters of support from third parties.
The club, which was opened in 1899, comprises six tennis courts, three of which are already served by floodlighting, together with a clubhouse. The proposal involves six new floodlighting columns, of 12 metres height, to serve three tennis courts at the northern part of the site.
The club is located within an affluent residential area characterised largely by detached dwellings set on similar-sized plots.
The council planning report states: “While it is acknowledged that the use of the proposed floodlights would introduce additional illumination during evening hours, this represents an intensification of an existing and established use rather than the introduction of a new or incompatible form of development.
“Taking into account the containment of the site, the limited public viewpoints, the presence of existing floodlighting, and the surrounding boundary treatments, it is considered that the proposal would not result in an adverse impact on the character or appearance of the surrounding residential area or the overall integrity of the proposed area of townscape character.”
Objections were raised from neighbouring occupiers raising concerns in relation to potential light spill, noise disturbance, impact on the local environment, especially bats, and traffic nuisance.
The report summarises the objections, stating: “It is asserted that existing floodlights serving courts one to three already give rise to significant light pollution, glare and disturbance, affecting both internal living spaces and outdoor amenity areas. Residents report that light intrusion enters bedrooms and living areas, affecting sleep and general enjoyment of their properties.
“It is contended that the proposed floodlighting to courts four to six, due to their proximity to residential boundaries, would exacerbate these impacts. Assertions have also been made that existing vegetation would not provide effective screening in certain locations and that references to screening by trees or hedging are inaccurate.
“In addition, residents have expressed concern that the proposal would facilitate extended evening use of the courts, resulting in continued noise disturbance from tennis play and coaching activity, potentially up to 22:00 hours.”
Representing the local objectors, Nader Haghighi told the committee: “We wish to make it clear that local residents are not opposed to sport or to Bangor Lawn Tennis Club. We support community recreation.
“However, what we cannot support is a lighting scheme that has been assessed incorrectly, conditions which do not provide the level of certainty required, which could expose long-established homes to unacceptable levels of light and have an adverse impact on the local habitat, bats in particular.”
Speaking in support of the application, and representing Bangor Lawn Tennis Club, Susan Whitla told the chamber: “Under our current infrastructure, we are restricted to using only three of our six courts during the long winter evenings. This creates a severe operational bottleneck.
“The evenings are the only time our members, who are working adults, are free to play. We simply do not have the capacity to meet the demand. Unlike many other regional tennis clubs such as CIYMS, Cavehill, Windsor etc, who possess fully lit facilities, we are forced to turn local people away nearly half of the year.
“Tennis is a unique sport for life that offers measurable health benefits across every single demographic.”
She added: “We fully understand that a planning application for floodlights brings a deep responsibility to both the environment and our residential neighbours. This is a responsibility we take very seriously. At the club’s own significant expense, we commissioned expert reports to ensure this project is a model of modern planning.
“To protect our neighbours, we are investing in cutting-edge, directional LED technology. These lights are engineered with zero upward light pollution and sharp, targeted cut-off thresholds. This ensures the illumination stays on the court surface and does not spill into the sky or neighbouring gardens.”
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