Youth club leaders say “let there be lights”

Youth club organisers are hopeful of reaching a compromise over calls for floodlighting on a state-of-the-art football pitch.
Lenzie astro pitchLenzie astro pitch
Lenzie astro pitch

Lenzie Youth Club recently launched a petition asking East Dunbartonshire Council to instal lights at the Lenzie Academy astro pitch, where youngsters are unable to train during the dark winter evenings.

It means that their membership is limited by the size of the games hall they use when outdoor facilities are unavailable.

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Council chiefs had previously said that “given the close proximity of homes to the school and the very real concerns of neighbours about light pollution, it was decided not to install floodlights”.

But new negotiations are underway after Lenzie Youth Club raised enough cash to buy their own mobile floodlights.

A youth club spokesperson said: “Lenzie Youth Club would like to thank all the local people who supported their petition so that it can be used in winter evenings for coaching the 360 members of the youth club, and also be used by the Academy pupils.

“Lenzie have raised funding to pay for a unit of 10 portable recharging lights which will cover the full pitch and to a height of 12 feet so that local residents will not be affected by glare.

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“Lenzie Youth Club would like to thank ‘Awards for All’ and ‘the SFA Grass Roots Fund’ for their support.

“We still require a storage unit or container to store the lights at the pitch, so any local resident who can help with this should contact the club leader.

“East Dunbartonshire Council have agreed to the use of these lights in principle subject to certain conditions being met, and this will be clarified shortly.”

Thomas Glen, the council’s director of development and regeneration, said: “Discussions with officers are ongoing and but no agreement has yet been reached.

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“Any suggested use of temporary lights which would be used for more than 28 days in any calendar year would require planning consent for their use.”

If you would like to help Lenzie Youth Club out with the storage of the temporary lights please call 0141 775 0322.