Residents in Glanmire oppose football club's floodlight plan 

Riverstown Football Club claims the floodlights are essential for the commercial viability of the club.

Residents of a housing estate on the outskirts of Cork city are opposing plans by a local football club to erect floodlights on their pitches over concern they will create additional noise, nuisance and traffic problems in the area.

A total of 20 families living in Forest Park, Brooklodge, Glanmire, Co Cork have jointly lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanála against the decision of Cork City Council to grant planning permission to Riverstown Football Club to erect six 15-metre-high floodlights on their grounds which are adjacent to the housing estate.

However, the council rejected the soccer club’s application for the removal of a condition restricting use of the pitches from 9am to 9pm.

Riverstown FC had sought to extend the time of use to 10.30pm daily on the basis that many matches only started at 8pm but the council ruled the club had not demonstrated satisfactorily that the extended hours of use would not have an adverse impact on people living in nearby properties.

However, Forest Park residents claim they are at a loss to understand why the soccer club are still seeking planning permission for floodlights given media reports that Riverstown FC has plans to establish a permanent home a short distance away on part of a site once earmarked for a €10m FAI Centre of Excellence in Cork at Brooklodge.

However, the soccer club claims the floodlights are essential for the commercial viability of the club and the costs associated with the upgrading of a grass pitch to an all-weather surface, for which planning permission has already been secured.

The club’s pitches are located on a 3.75 hectare site owned by the Glanmire Area Community Association close to the M8 motorway.

Appeal

Last December, An Bord Pleanála upheld an appeal by the residents of Forest Park against an application by the soccer club to install 18.3-metre-high floodlights as part of an application to develop an all-weather pitch at the site.

The board claimed Riverstown FC had not adequately demonstrated that the proposed floodlights as well as public lighting poles would not seriously injure the residential amenities of adjoining properties.

Riverstown FC, which describes itself as one of Cork’s fastest growing soccer clubs, said the floodlights were necessary to ensure the club was able to continue to meet the growing demands for their pitches in the community.

“It is important that the facilities on site are of an appropriate nature and scale to allow for the expansion of use,” the club stated.

It claimed the granting of permission for the floodlights would allow the club to fulfil its potential as well as to “continue in its role as a vital community organisation in the area, by providing a year-round service which caters for all ages, abilities, genders and backgrounds.” 

The club said it had changed the design of the proposed floodlights following the rejection of its plans to install floodlighting by An Bord Pleanála last year in order “to further reduce the possibility of light spillover on neighbouring units.” 

In their latest appeal, the residents point out that they did not appeal the original grant for the development of playing pitches by the Glanmire Area Community Association around 20 years ago despite having many reservations as they did not wish “to prevent a well-managed and well-controlled community development.” In a submission on behalf of the residents of Forest Park, Margaret McCann said they felt conditions imposed with the original grant of planning permission would provide the necessary safeguards to protect the residential amenities of their housing estate.

Ms McCann said they believed that Cork County Council (which then was the relevant planning authority before boundary changes were made with the administrative area of Cork City Council) had inserted several conditions including a prohibition on floodlighting on the site because it recognised “the genuine concerns of the residents.” The group said they trusted that the developer and operators of the facility would “act as good neighbours” by respecting their concerns and fully complying with all planning conditions.

Failing that, Ms McCann said there was an expectation that the council would, if necessary, require planning conditions to be complied with.

However, she claimed “the relentless piecemeal removal of the original protections” had eroded the residential amenity of Forest Park and weakened the credibility of the planning process.

“Once again, our residential estate is being put at risk by reason of traffic hazard in regard to the proposed intensification of use of the pitches after dark,” said Ms McCann.

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She claimed the current levels of constant movement of cars within Forest Park for going to the pitches were “too critical a matter to discount.” Ms McCann described the traffic calming measures already in place within the estate as “wholly inadequate.” The residents claim the proposed height of the floodlights at 15 metres is excessive and will “tower over” existing homes in the area.

They argue noise levels when the club’s three pitches were in use are already a nuisance, but increased noise at night time when locals would be trying to sleep would be “intolerable and unjustifiable.” 

A ruling by An Bord Pleanála on the residents’ appeal is due by mid-November 2024.