CONCERNS have been raised over plans for new floodlights at a tennis court in Thornbury.
Thornbury Lawn Tennis Club has submitted a planning application to South Gloucestershire Council to install nine new LED floodlights in one of the tennis courts in Mundy Playing Fields.
The proposed lights - which are 6.7m tall - would be built inside courts five and six which are licensed to the tennis club by Thornbury Town Council.
It is hoped the lights would encourage more people to play tennis during the winter and dark nights.
However, the ecology and environment team at SGC has expressed concern, calling the proposals "unacceptable” as it would negatively affect surrounding wildlife.
Laura Turner, Senior Ecology Officer from South Gloucestershire Council said: “Unfortunately, the proposals are not acceptable from an ecological perspective as too much light would spill onto adjacent hedgerows and boundary vegetation.
“Hedgerows are an important habitat for a range of species and provide suitable foraging and commuting habitat for local wildlife, such as bats.
“The hedgerows in question additionally offer good connectivity to pockets of woodland within the area.
“The hedgerows/trees are currently exposed to light levels of 25 lux.
“In order for the hedgerows to complement a 'dark corridor' for local wildlife, light levels should be 0.5 lux or below.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Thornbury Town Council said: “No objection. The town council supports the move to environmentally beneficial LED lighting.”
You can view the planning application, here - https://tinyurl.com/4fkapmb6
The proposals come as the town council has recently closed a public consultation about the future of the town’s public tennis courts.
A new pay-and-play system has been proposed, with the hope that it will encourage more people to use the available facilities and deter anti-social behaviour at the courts.
The survey which closed on Friday, May 12 said any money made would go back into keeping the courts in good condition.
A spokesperson previously said: “We have had many people say over the years, where people have turned up to play and been frustrated to find the courts already in use.
“If we install a scheme like this, we hope that by keeping the booking fee reasonable and looking into schemes to make booking more affordable for those on a lower income.”
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