Plans to build floodlights around a school sports pitch in Basildon have been given the go-ahead, despite residents fearing the noise and light will be “unbearable”.

The proposal to build eight six-metre-high floodlights around the all-weather pitch at Lincewood Primary School on Berry Lane, Langdon Hills, was given planning approval at the council’s Planning Committee on Tuesday evening.

The lights aim to make the pitch available for use throughout the year, especially in the winter months.

Several residents attended the meeting to voice their objections over fears that it would result in increased noise and light pollution.

A resident who lives close to the site told the committee: “This development we were told is for the children. Why do the children need flood lights? They’ll be in bed – this is a primary school not a senior school, they don’t need flood lights it’s not going to help them at all.

“This facility is already being used by some very noisy adults who shout and yell at one another.

“It’s bad enough with no flood lights but with flood lights it has the potential to be absolutely unbearable.”

A council planning officer said that based on assessments made for the application light spill would be “minimal” and noise will be mitigated by the installation of acoustic barrier fencing around the site.

The plan will also include the implementation of time restrictions, with the flood lights operating between 4pm and 8pm on weekdays, 10am and 8pm on Saturdays and 10.30am until 6pm on Sundays.

Committee chair Carole Morris said: “The fact is at the moment the pitch doesn’t have any restrictions on timing, so people can carry on playing until 10pm or even later if they so wished without us being able to do anything.

“If we agreed to this planning application we are saying there are limits on the time it can be used and we can enforce it, so therefore there is an improvement for the public in that respect. The pitch is already there, its already making some noise so that is one of the improvements by accepting this.

“The other being the acoustic fence, we agree to this and the fence gets put up, so there are some advantage to the public in this application going forward.”

Picture 1 - Lincewood Primary School. Google Maps

Picture 2 - Plans from the flood lights planning application. Lincewood Primary School