Residents' anger over floodlights plan

ANGRY residents packed into a council meeting to oppose plans for floodlighting at a tennis club.
People living near Culcheth Sports Club – formerly known as the Daten Club – in Charnock Road, Culcheth, Warrington said they feared bright lights would have an unacceptable impact on their homes.
They also expressed concern at noise pollution.
“The tennis players sometimes use appalling language on court,” one resident said.
The residents attended a meeting of Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council to voice their concern.
Coun Roger Rankin, chairman of the council’s planning committee said it was difficult for a parish council to oppose something that would benefit the community.
But in this case, he felt the residents had to take precedent.
He said the tennis club was seeking 10 floodlights to illuminate its four courts. The lights would be 60 per cent higher than existing lights on the adjoining bowling green.
Although the club claimed it only required the lights to enable it to finish league matches in September and October, but human nature being what it was, it was inevitable the lights would be used on other occasions, if only to justify the cost of the lights.
The parish council decided to oppose the club’s planning application and chairman Coun Sue Bland advised residents to send in their own objections if the matter came before the borough council’s development control committee.