Concerns raised about buzzards and bats in appeal against training pitch
Appeal against football club training pitch turned down
Planning permission has been granted for a training pitch at a Donegal Junior League football club despite an appeal that raised concerns over the impact of the development on wildlife.
An appeal against the granting of planning permission for a training pitch by Raphoe Town FC has been rejected by An Bord Pleanála.
The club was granted planning permission for a training pitch, ball-stopping fencing, and floodlighting at its ground at Drumineney in Raphoe last April by Donegal County Council.
Permission was granted with six conditions including that all floodlighting should be hooded and aligned to prevent direct spillage of light onto the public road and nearby dwellings. There was one objection from a nearby resident who requested a restriction on hours of play at the site.
The decision was appealed by the objector who expressed concerns about light spill and that proposed ball-stopping netting would be a risk to wildlife in the area, including buzzards, badgers, hedgehogs and bats.
The club responded that ball-stopping netting is the necessary infrastructure for a football club. Without it, there is a risk to road users and those retrieving stray balls, it argued.The club said the netting would not present any greater risk to wildlife than fencing erected elsewhere.
The inspector reported that the site was of “low ecological potential”.
An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission with eight conditions including that the floodlighting shall not operate on the site after 10pm.