Four Lanes school floodlight plan scrapped (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Four Lanes school floodlight plan scrapped

3:00pm Thursday 1st November 2012 in News By Emily Roberts, Chief Reporter

FLOODLIGHTS will not be in-stalled at a school’s ball court after neighbours raised objections.

The planning application for Four Lanes Community Junior School in Chineham was discussed by Hampshire County Council’s regulatory committee on October 24, who were recommended to approve it.

The four, 8m-high floodlights would have illuminated the ball court for use throughout the year.

But concerns about light and noise pollution were raised by those living near the Hanmore Road school and county councillors agreed with them.

Chineham Parish Council also raised objections citing an “adverse impact on neighbouring dwellings”.

Four letters were submitted in support of the application, and 13 against, the latter pointing to potential problems with traffic, anti-social behaviour, vandalism and light pollution.

But the governing body at the school collected a petition of 227 signatures stating that the local community wanted to use the facility. Planning permission was granted for the ball court to be built in January this year.

A report prepared for the committee said the floodlights were not likely to increase the amount of anti-social behaviour on the school site and might prevent it.

Despite the hours of use of the floodlights being amended, so they would not be on at weekends, and the report saying that they would be partially screened by trees, councillors still refused the application.