Council allows school's lights despite complaints

A school has been given permission to keep using outdoor lights, which neighbours have described as being "like the Blackpool Illuminations".

Upton Junior School in Broadstairs, Kent, said the security lights on its gym building needed to be kept on for health and safety reasons.

But local residents have called the lights "totally unnecessary" and complained about the glare.

Thanet District Council (TDC) has approved plans to keep the lights on until 22:00 every day, except Sunday, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

An original planning condition stated the lights should be switched off when the building, in Edge End Road, was not in use, or activated by motion sensors.

But the school then applied to TDC to allow the lights to be kept on until 22:00 six nights a week.

Linda Judd, who lives nearby, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the lights beamed into her windows at night.

“Blackpool Illuminations – that’s how I describe it,” she said. “They’re very bright and totally unnecessary.”

Another resident, Andrew McCulloch, said the school had not listened to residents' concerns and made "no great effort" to comply with the condition in the original planning condition.

In its application to change the rules, the school said turning the lights on and off had “proved problematic to implement” because community groups used the building outside of school hours.

It asked to change the conditions so it is only required to keep the lights off outside of permitted hours.

These will be 08:00 to 22:00 Monday to Saturday – including outside of term time and on bank holidays – and 09:00 to 20:00 on Sundays.

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.