Southborough School application for 3G pitch and floodlights

This will be a resubmission of a proposal originally submitted in 2024 (24/02369/FUL) seeking permission for a 3G pitch and associated floodlighting. However, the scale and height of the proposed floodlights are significant and raise serious environmental concerns Project proposals

Key changes to the revised scheme include:

- Removal of built structures from within the river buffer zone to safeguard local ecology

- Relocation of the non-turf cricket wicket and outfield further south

- Reduction in car parking to 25 spaces, set further from neighbouring boundaries

- Additional soft landscaping, buffer planting and watercourse enhancements

This proposal should be considered in the context of Kingston’s recently adopted Biodiversity Action Plan. The Species Action Plan for bats explicitly states that ‘there should be no new lighting near rivers’ due to the sensitivity of bat species to artificial light.

Bat surveys submitted with the previous application recorded eight species within the site and surrounding area, including several that are known to be highly light-averse. The river corridor is therefore clearly an important ecological feature supporting commuting and foraging activity.

Given the scale and height of the proposed lighting columns, it is difficult to see how these species would be able to continue using the river corridor if the development proceeds.

The intensity and spread of light is likely to extend well beyond the immediate site, causing wider impacts through increased light pollution and glare.

The proposal may conflict directly with the council’s own biodiversity commitments and risks causing significant harm to protected and priority species.