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Sports lighting UK do all there lighting design in house and provide the efficient, cost effective lighting solution to fulfil your requirements. Lighting design is a highly technical part of any lighting system. We try several luminaire’s from different lighting manufacturers to see which on performs the best, and only when we are happy with the lighting plot will we price it and forward it to you. If its a floodlighting design for a sports ground or an indoor warehouse requiring microwave sensors and photo electric cell to control the lighting levels we can help.
It is getting more and more common that an application for floodlighting will be refused. This can be because of many factors including light pollution and the effects on surrounding property.
We will try to guide you towards a successful planning application.
Floodlighting is frequently requested for sports facilities
to enable them to be used on winter evenings for training
or competition; to enable an expensive facility such as an
Artificial Turf Pitch to be more viable and justify the level of
capital investment; to enable more people to participate
and give more choice and flexibility of playing time.
There have been significant advances made in the design
and maintenance of floodlighting systems.
“The site should be able to accommodate any
necessary lighting without undue intrusion or significant
adverse impact upon the immediate locality or wider
environment”.
The reasoned justification to the policy refers to the need
for environmental safeguards and measures to protect
residential amenity and maintain highway safety.
Light pollution can be a problem in both urban and
rural areas. Residential amenity aspects will be most
significant in an urban area, whilst sky glow may be the
most significant impact in a rural area.
The Department of the Environment and the Countryside
Commission in 1997 produced a Good Practice Guide:
“Lighting in the Countryside”: Towards Good Practice”
which provides practical advice on the prevention and
control of lighting impacts through appropriate action
by all those involved with lighting in the countryside.
The guide suggests that Local Planning Authorities
should recognise the cumulative impacts of lighting
on countryside character and consider the need for
policies on lighting in the development plan and for
supplementary planning guidance to elucidate these
policies. Much of the advice in the Good Practice Guide
is applicable to urban and suburban areas as well as the
countryside.
The Sports Council has also produced Guidance Notes
to advise potential developers of floodlit sports facilities
on the issues they should consider in order to reduce the
potential effect on the local environment. Different sports
require different levels of light. The lighting requirements
for individual sports are set out in the Sports Council
Lighting in the Countryside
There is growing concern that excessive lighting on rural
roads, village streets and in other areas of the countryside
can lead to sky glow which shuts out the splendour of the
night sky and lighting apparatus can be visually intrusive
in daytime. There can be a subtle cumulative effect
on the character of rural landscapes that tends to blur
the distinction between urban and rural area. Two key
considerations are identified in the DOE/CC 1997 Good
Practice Guide – the importance of countryside character
and the need to minimise the use of lighting and its
impacts.
Lighting in Urban Areas
Although the apparatus associated with floodlighting
is often more readily assimilated in urban areas, and
the wider impact of the light generated less intrusive,
particular problems can occur in respect of residential
amenity. The proximity of housing and the way in which
the floodlighting and use of the site impacts on the
amenities enjoyed by the occupiers will be an important
factor in determining the acceptability of proposals.
Proposals for floodlighting of sports facilities will be
permitted where:-
1 There is no significant adverse impact on the
landscape character in terms of:
the sensitivity of a given area to the introduction of
exterior lighting (night-time)
the effect of lighting on the visual character of the
landscape or built environment in terms of siting
and the existing landform (day-time)
the effect on historical or wildlife features
the design of new planting and landscaping
proposals
2 There is no significant adverse impact on the visual
amenity of residents.
3 The safety of transport users is not adversely affected.
4 The proposal does not represent an unacceptably
adverse intensification of use of the application site.
In addition there may be a need to consider the impact on
special interest groups such as astronomers.
The Borough Council may impose planning conditions to
influence the design of lighting installations and to mitigate
their impacts.
a Night-time Impact
Areas with the presence of dark skies such as
remote or undeveloped areas of countryside will
be particularly sensitive to light intrusion. The
Institute of Lighting Engineers in their Guidance
Notes for the reduction of Light Pollution give
examples of environmental zones. The presence
of existing lighting in the locality will be examined.
b Day-time
The effect on sky-lines, key views and on
landscape character generally will be looked at.
The siting of lighting is of particular importance
e.g. concentrating lights in one part of the
site, screening key views and giving careful
consideration to the treatment of the boundaries
of any development.
The existing topography or landform varies in
its ability to accommodate lighting. A relatively
flat landform and well developed hedgerows
may contain views, but cannot screen sky glow.
Rolling landforms may reduce the impacts of
lighting but dark upland areas will be particularly
sensitive in terms of light pollution.
c Historical or Wildlife Features
The presence of conservation areas, listed
buildings, nature reserves or areas of wildlife
interest which may be adversely affected will be
taken into account.
d Landscaping
Landscaping proposals such as allowing existing
hedges to grow, the planting of new hedges and
internal planting within a site may screen some
of the impacts of new lighting. Care must be
taken though not to adversely alter the existing
landscape character or block important local
views.
Applicants will therefore need to demonstrate how use
of the existing landform, or landscaping proposals will
mitigate the impact of the proposal. Sports floodlights
tend to be tall and may be intrusive in visual terms.
There are advantages in mounting the lamp as high as
possible so that its light can be directed downwards,
minimising glare and sky glow. However, tall masts
may be visually intrusive during the day-time. The
following principles should therefore be considered as
advocated in the DOE/CC guide:
consider potential for temporary floodlighting
and for lowering light columns in summer when
they are not in use. Also using the minimum number of
light required to minimise light pollution
2 Residential Visual Amenity Aspects
Residential amenity aspects will be particularly important
in urban areas. Distances between the proposed
lighting and the boundaries of residential curtilages will
be examined. The amount of light falling on a surface
is known as the luminance and is measured in lumens
per square metre or lux. The strength of light in a given
direction is referred to by engineers as luminous intensity
and this is measured in candelas. Light spill from a
misdirected source can be distracting and annoying
and can destroy a sense of privacy, especially where
bedrooms may be effected by increased light levels at
night.
3 Transport Safety
The relevant highway authority will be consulted
regarding any increased luminance caused by the
proposed lighting and the possible effects of glare on
road users. Glare from excessively bright or poorly aimed
lights causes dazzle, with safety implications for motorists
and pedestrians, particularly the elderly.
4 Intensification of Use
The provision of floodlighting often involves an
intensification of use. The use to which a floodlit area
is put can have a considerable impact on the amenity
of the surrounding area. There will be a considerable
difference between a facility used for training purposes,
or just by the participants in a sport and a use which
attracts large numbers of spectators. The other aspects
of intensification such as noise, access and car parking
are addressed by other Development Control policies
but remain valid concerns for assessing any floodlighting
proposals.
5 Special Interest Groups
Britain’s astronomers have been particularly affected
by the impact of light pollution on the night sky. The
activities of astronomers are affected most by sky glow,
but light trespass and glare may also cause severe
problems if they are close by.
6 Conditions
Conditions may cover such matters as:
luminaries effects
These matters and the issues raised in this policy
guidance need to be addressed in any planning
applications submitted to the Borough Council.
Applicants are advised to consult the relevant lighting
experts before submitting a scheme. The DOE/CC Good
Practice Guide provides useful information on issues to
consider in the scheme preparation of lighting installations. The Institute of Lighting Engineer’s
“Guidance Notes for the Reduction of Light Pollution” 1994
and the Sports Council Guidance Notes “Floodlighting”
1994 and Facilities Fact file 2 – “Floodlighting for Sport”
also provides useful information”.
