MCC loses appeal to increase floodlights at Lord's Cricket Ground
New limits put on night matches, but high-profile day fixtures will benefit
Published: 7 May, 2010
by JAMIE WELHAM
PLANS to increase the use of floodlights at Lord’s Cricket Ground have been watered down following widespread opposition.
Planning chiefs at Westminster Council gave the go ahead for the Marylebone Cricket Club, the MCC, to erect 48 metre high retractable lights at the historic home of cricket in St John’s Wood last year.
It was hailed as a victory for English cricket because it paved the way for the first ever day-night matches at Lord’s during the Twenty20 World Cup.
But it met with stiff resistance from people living nearby over fears the lights would beam into their flats at night.
In its latest application the club had submitted further plans to put the lights on during an additional 16 days to allow crucial matches to continue where bad light might otherwise stop play.
In January 2009 permission had been given for their use for 12 matches and four practice matches during the summer months, if they were dimmed by 9.50pm and switched off by 11pm.
Last Thursday the city council’s planning committee amended the conditions. It agreed to 12 daytime matches only instead of the 16 requested.
But the compromise also sees Lord’s forced to cut the number of times the lights can be used for evening matches from 12 to 10 and practice matches from four to two.
Rosemarie MacQueen, strategic director for the built environment at the city council, said: “We fully recognise the benefits Lord’s brings to Westminster and London as a whole but also have to balance this with the reasonable wishes of local residents.
“The committee got this balance right by allowing some crucial day matches to have floodlighting where bad light might otherwise stop play.
“We have imposed strict conditions on the MCC which means they will only use the floodlights during the day when absolutely necessary. They will only be used on occasions where high-profile day matches would otherwise be stopped because of poor light.”
It is understood these will include one-day internationals, Test matches and other important international fixtures and major national matches.