Bromley neighbours oppose Crystal Palace academy floodlight plans as they fear ‘stadium by stealth’
A local said the traffic attracted to the site is an ‘accident waiting to happen’
Bromley locals are objecting to plans for a new set of floodlights at Crystal Palace FC’s academy, claiming the site’s increased usage has caused ‘bedlam’ on the road. The club’s academy sits on Copers Cope Road in Beckenham.
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The club has applied to Bromley Council to have four 21 metre tall floodlight columns installed on its academy grounds to illuminate the central pitch. Council documents state this would be done to allow matches to be played on the site after sundown as the club is required to host outdoor matches in winter.
The lights are reportedly also required to allow the academy to be used as a Premier League 2 venue for youth matches as the main pitch on the site has currently not been approved for such use. This has caused the club to rent space from Sutton United in the previous year to play home matches.
The plans have received 48 objections from locals, with some stating they are worried the additions to the site would convert it into a ‘stadium by stealth’. Ward councillors Michael Tickner and Will Connolly have also called in the decision based on concerns relating to light pollution and the impact on neighbouring amenity.
Stephanie Sfakianos, 66, has lived on Copers Cope Road with her husband for over 30 years and has a garden that backs onto the site. She said that neighbours are worried that the installation of the floodlights would ‘open the floodgates’ for the site being used at later times during the day.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “It’s obvious that when Crystal Palace applied for the original permission, they grossly understated the amount of usage the site was going to get. I think the concern amongst the neighbours is the council has been extremely weak in enforcing the hours for which the club has approval to use the site.”
Ms Sfakianos claimed the site is often used outside of its approved operating hours for activities such as bin collections and players returning from away matches. She added that the increased footfall in the area from the interest in the academy has made it very difficult to navigate her
