This is ridiculous. You can't live next to a football club and complain because the game has gone into extra time.
Email the Mid Sussex Times and The Argus and complain. Not quite sure what good that will do but never mind.
Football club's penalty in floodlight dilemma
A struggling football club has been fined more than £3,000 for failing to turn its floodlights off on time.
Burgess Hill Town Football Club was punished for breaching council planning orders six times.
Club director Gary Croydon admitted failing to comply with lighting restrictions set out by Mid Sussex District Council and the club was fined £3,100 and ordered to pay £558 costs.
A residents' association complained about light pollution after the club failed to to turn off its lights at the Leylands Park ground six times between April to August last season before the 9.45pm deadline.
Horsham Magistrates Court yesterday heard breaches of Mid Sussex District Council's planning regulations were often inevitable when matches overrun into extra time during flood-lit evening games.
The club could also lose vital business from other teams if it stuck to the rigid deadlines or be forced to move grounds, the court heard.
Burgess Hill FC relies on visiting clubs for income and professional clubs demand time to wind down after evening matches.
Iain O'Donnell, the club's solicitor said a change of grounds might be the only solution because the rising club - now in Southern Rymans division 1 - could not afford more costly court hearings.
Denise Cooper, prosecuting, said use of the ground's four floodlights should have been limited from 2.45pm to 5.30pm on Saturdays and 6.45pm to 9.30pm on weekdays.
The weekday deadline would be extended to 9.45pm, if a game went into extra time.
Mr O'Donnell told magistrates that games at the ground had to start at a set time and extra time was at least double the 15 minutes stated in the Mid Sussex District Council conditions.
Mr Croydon said outside the court the club would repeat a council application to extend the floodlight deadline.
He said: "We are struggling to compete at the level we are in.
"Financially, we are victims of our own success."
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The above information is confidential to the addressee and may be privileged. Unauthorised access and use is prohibited.
Email the Mid Sussex Times and The Argus and complain. Not quite sure what good that will do but never mind.
Football club's penalty in floodlight dilemma
A struggling football club has been fined more than £3,000 for failing to turn its floodlights off on time.
Burgess Hill Town Football Club was punished for breaching council planning orders six times.
Club director Gary Croydon admitted failing to comply with lighting restrictions set out by Mid Sussex District Council and the club was fined £3,100 and ordered to pay £558 costs.
A residents' association complained about light pollution after the club failed to to turn off its lights at the Leylands Park ground six times between April to August last season before the 9.45pm deadline.
Horsham Magistrates Court yesterday heard breaches of Mid Sussex District Council's planning regulations were often inevitable when matches overrun into extra time during flood-lit evening games.
The club could also lose vital business from other teams if it stuck to the rigid deadlines or be forced to move grounds, the court heard.
Burgess Hill FC relies on visiting clubs for income and professional clubs demand time to wind down after evening matches.
Iain O'Donnell, the club's solicitor said a change of grounds might be the only solution because the rising club - now in Southern Rymans division 1 - could not afford more costly court hearings.
Denise Cooper, prosecuting, said use of the ground's four floodlights should have been limited from 2.45pm to 5.30pm on Saturdays and 6.45pm to 9.30pm on weekdays.
The weekday deadline would be extended to 9.45pm, if a game went into extra time.
Mr O'Donnell told magistrates that games at the ground had to start at a set time and extra time was at least double the 15 minutes stated in the Mid Sussex District Council conditions.
Mr Croydon said outside the court the club would repeat a council application to extend the floodlight deadline.
He said: "We are struggling to compete at the level we are in.
"Financially, we are victims of our own success."
**********************************************************************
The above information is confidential to the addressee and may be privileged. Unauthorised access and use is prohibited.
