Floodlights plan at tennis courts refused by council due to impact on neighbours

There are four all-weather tennis courts at the Mapledurham Tennis Club, on Upper Woodcote Road in Caversham.

Two of them (courts one and four) have permission to be used from 9am to 10pm, while the other two (two and three) can only be used until 8pm.

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The club sought permission from the council to use all its floodlights until 10pm but the council rejected the plan.

Reading Borough Council (RBC) officers said the close proximity of the floodlights to houses on Knowle Close and Little Woodcote Close would have resulted in glare and glow for a further two hours every day into the later evening hours, adversely impacting on neighbours.

The council approved plans to erect the new floodlights on courts two and three in August 2019 but said the new floodlights, which have not been erected yet, could only stay on until 8pm.

Case officer Matt Burns said: “Whilst it is acknowledged that the floodlighting to the western most courts (one and four) is already permitted to operate until 10pm, these courts are located further from the surrounding residential properties.

“It is the close proximity of the lighting on courts two and three to the nearby residential properties which is considered to exacerbate the impact of the glare and glow from the lighting.”

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The club had said the restricted use of the floodlights up to 8pm makes it impossible for the club to operate on all four courts in summer when the lights are only needed after 8pm.

And they said in the winter it makes it difficult on Tuesdays and Thursdays when junior coaching is using two courts up to 7pm or 8pm.

But neighbours of the tennis court raised concerns about the floodlights plan, saying it would cause “intense light intrusion” and would be “detrimental” to their “quiet enjoyment of the environment”.