The simple answer is yes you do need planning permission from your local authority to install floodlights at an outdoor sports ground.
As well as getting the design of your floodlighting right for players and spectators, sportsground floodlighting needs to be right for the community and wider environment in which your sports club sits. Whether you are looking to install floodlights for a tennis club, football pitch, equestrian facility or any other outdoor sporting arena you will need planning permission from your local planning authority in order to balance the needs of both sports club and community.
Floodlighting sports and recreational facilities can increase usage of and widen access to recreational facilities, particularly during evenings. It assists in increasing participation in sport and promotes healthy living. These widely accepted benefits of floodlighting must be balanced against the impact upon the living conditions of nearby residential properties and take ecological impact into consideration.
The flipside of increased participation is that floodlighting will extend the hours of use, encouraging more visitors for longer which could impact upon traffic and parking. This can potentially raise concerns amongst people who live in the area. Nearby residents may object to potential light trespass or light pollution where floodlights cast light where it is not wanted.
A good lighting design will mitigate against these potential objections as well as taking the local wildlife into consideration to minimise any disruption to normal habits and habitat.
Expert planning advice can help ensure that your floodlighting scheme makes it through local authority planning reviews. CT Planning can introduce you to a team of professionals that will design a scheme to comply with the Institute of Lighting Professionals Guidance Notes for the Reduction of Light Pollution.
Our expert planner Chris Timothy. Chris has been successful in advising many tennis and other sporting clubs from around the UK in delivering floodlights at their venues.
Get in touch with Chris to discuss your floodlighting scheme to ensure you are on the right track from the outset.
Chris Timothy
Key guidance comes from the lighting and construction sectors who provide detailed information. This information is freely available to members of some professional bodies and also available for purchase:
- The ILP (Institute of Lighting Professionals) provides Guidance on undertaking environmental lighting impact assessments
- The CIBSE (Chartered Institution of building Services Engineers) publishes LG4: Sports lighting (2023) which has recently been updated.
Sport England also produce a freely available quick reference guide to installing lights at a sports venue
