March Town Football club hoping for better lighting with new floodlights plan

A local football stadium is looking to modernise its floodlights with a planning application submitted to Fenland District Council.

March Town Football Club is looking for permission to install four 18metre high masts with 16x LED floodlights at the GER Sport Ground in Robingoodfellows Lane.

A light impact statement drawn up by Abacus Lighting explains the pitch is currently lit by eight 18metre high lattice tower masts, which are now coming to the end of their design life.

As a result, the club is looking to replace the existing system with a new modern base hinged mast system, reducing the number of masts from eight to four.

Abacus explained that in devising a new lighting system they had to consider providing lighting that meets with the Football Association’s standards, whilst trying to minimise the risk of light spillage beyond the ground’s site boundary.

The lighting experts say in their report that the mast height was calculated using the method detailed in national guidance.

Adding: “A 18metre mast has been used to take into consideration the ground levels to be mounted horizontally.

“This will result in low vertical overspill and good uniformity on the playing surface, without compromising cost. The masts will offer a slim line profile which will minimise daytime impact.

“If the mounting height was reduced to any lower than proposed in our design, the floodlights would need to be elevated above the horizontal to maintain compliant lighting levels, which consequently increases overspill and glare.”

Abacus also says their design will minimise the amount of light going into the atmosphere which will meet the recommendations of the Campaign for Dark Skies, a lobbying organisation that wants to keep light pollution to a minimum.

It also points out: “It is worth noting that the new LED system will provide less overspill than the current installation which will therefore offer an improvement to the local environment.”

The report concludes: “The proposed system would be suitable for installing in an environmental zone E3, meeting the most stringent of light control parameters whilst maintaining the specified illuminance levels for the sports pitch.

“The impact on residents will be minimised as overspill values into gardens will be no more than moonlight and vertical illuminance into windows before curfew are below the values recommended by the Institute for Lighting Professionals.”