Residents call for removal of school floodlights after years of complaints

Lewis Smith, Local Democracy Reporter

Major concerns have been raised about floodlights in a Welsh village labelled a “total nuisance” by neighbours.

People living next to the sports pitches at Cefn Saeson Comprehensive school in Cimla, Neath, say they have complained about the floodlights for years and are now calling for them to be removed permanently, with one resident describing how they once lit up the surrounding streets like an “airport”.

The lights were put up as part of the new school replacement development for Cefn Saeson Comprehensive in 2021, though it is understood that two of the lighting units closest to the houses on nearby Greenwood Drive have been kept off since January 2024 while Neath Port Talbot Council conducts enquiries.

However, concerns about the lights have been heightened after a report from independent experts said the structures installed were different to those approved at the planning stage.

The post installation review report published in 2024 by lighting design consultants, The Lighting Bee, was sent to local resident Tim Pearson after he made a freedom of information request to the council.

Tim said he has fought against the use of the lights since they were first installed, as they lit up neighbouring homes and gardens from their position just metres away.

He said: “People were finding it distressing because you’d have children that couldn’t sleep at the rear of the properties where their bedrooms were, due to the amount of light pollution that was coming in.

“Even those that didn’t have young children found it a total nuisance because it was completely illuminating their gardens.”

Another resident who did not wish to be named said the strength of the lights made the night time feel like day, noting further fears of them being switched back on again.

In their post installation review, Lighting Bee said they believed the whole site where the lights were installed should have been classified as an E2 environmental zone for assessment purposes, instead of being split between an E2 and less stringent E3 zone.

Under current lighting standards an E2 zone represents that of low district brightness such as in sparsely inhabited rural areas, while an E3 lighting zone represents a medium brightness seen in well inhabited rural or urban settlements.

Additionally, the report said a completely different floodlight specification and design had been installed to those which were approved at the planning stage.

The report states: “Although the levels based on the planning proposals are met for an E3 Zone, when considering Light Intrusion they are not met for an E2 zone, which in our opinion this site should have been assessed against.

“This statement is also irrelevant as a completely different floodlight specification and design has been installed, for which a design and assessment has not been prepared/ provided.”

The Local Democracy Reporting  Service has also seen an email in which a council officer said they thought the lighting levels in some properties were contributing to a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Health Legislation.

While some residents acknowledged that the situation had improved since two of the lights had been turned off, they said they would still like to see them removed to avoid future issues.

A spokesperson for Neath Port Talbot Council said they were aware of the concerns, noting that the lighting columns would not be used while further enquiries were ongoing.

They said: “The impact of the floodlighting was considered as part of the planning application process and the development was assessed against the relevant planning requirements.

“The council is aware of concerns raised by residents and continues to engage with those concerns where appropriate.

“Whilst further enquiries are ongoing, the lighting columns will not be used.”

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