Lee Kenny Blinded by the school floodlights
Floodlights from a nearby school sports field are so bright it’s ‘‘like a car’s headlights shining into the living room’’.
That’s how Christchurch man Ross Johnston describes the blazing illuminations that dazzle his house most evenings – and they are sometimes left on throughout the night.
The 350 watt floodlights are on masts at the all-weather pitch at the joint grounds of Avonside Girls’ High and Shirley Boys’ High schools, which opened in New Brighton in May 2019.
The schools acknowledge the problem the lights create for neighbours but say it might not be possible to re-angle them.
Christchurch City Council is now investigating the matter. The council did approve an outline plan for the schools but ‘‘the lights weren’t included in that process’’, said a council spokesperson.
Johnston, who has lived in Bower Ave, which borders the two schools, since 2004, said he and his neighbours were being subjected to “light trespass”. He wants the lights to be angled so they don’t shine into their homes.
‘‘It’s like headlights on a car, with the high beam on,’’ he said. ‘‘And the neighbours next door are getting the same thing.
‘‘It’s just under 500 metres from the lights to my house.
‘‘It’s light pollution, and it extends well beyond the area that is being lit,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s light spill. It’s as bright as daylight.’’
Johnston – who is a qualified electrician and has worked in the trade for more than 30 years – said he first contacted Shirley Boys’ High School almost two years ago in a bid to get the issue resolved.
‘‘The candle power from the
floodlighting is so strong that the light . . . penetrates through the curtains and every little crack of open space,’’ he wrote in an email to the school in August 2020. ‘‘It is really blinding and . . . totally annoying for us.’’
Maintenance of the lights is contracted to Spotless, which is part of Downer. A spokesperson said the firm ‘‘maintains the lighting system on the hockey turf with a requirement to ensure it is operational and available to the school’’.
‘‘Spotless does not manage the use of the system and has no influence over that use. This is the responsibility of the school.’’
Prior to August 2020, the lighting was operating on a manual switch which required turning off at the end of being used, the spokesperson said.
‘‘An operation timer was then installed and the manual switch removed. The lighting is managed on a two-hour timer that is best aligned with the expected use and is a time specified by the school operator.’’
The lights are adjustable but that could mean they no longer light the hockey turf sufficiently, the spokesperson said.
Tim Grocott, Shirley Boys’ High School headmaster, said staff from both schools met yesterday to discuss the issue.
The schools were now looking at a system which will automatically switch off at a set time, probably 9.30pm, he said.
It was unlikely that the lights could be angled downward as they were designed to give full coverage of the turf, he said.
‘‘If they angle them differently the coverage won’t be sufficient for the turf, and it makes it a little bit of a health and safety issue as they are playing at night.’’