A Perthshire club has defended its plans to extend floodlight curfew hours for its all-weather pitch.
Letham Community Sports Club is seeking to extend the hours of floodlight operation at Seven Acres Park on Newhouse Road from 9-10pm.
However, the plans were blasted by neighbours, who claimed their lives are already being hampered by floodlight glare, late-night noise and bad language coming from the pitch.
This is despite the fact that, when planning permission was initially granted, investigations were carried out into noise and lighting levels to minimise the impact on neighbours.
Club secretary Jon Kidd said: “Letham Community Sports Club has a 35-year lease with Perth and Kinross Council for the area of the 3G pitch.
“That lease permits the club to operate the pitch and floodlights between the hours of 9am and 10pm Monday to Friday.
“The planning permission granted for the building of the pitch contains a condition limiting the use of the floodlights to 9pm.
“The club has never operated outside these times one of the objectors has previously complained about users still being on the pitch after 9pm.
“However, as the lease permits this and the floodlights were not on, we were not in breach of the lease or the planning conditions.”
Mr Kidd said the pitch had been fitted out with a state-of-the-art lighting system that limits light spill and is fitted with a time regulator that turns the lights off automatically at 9pm.
Residents’ objections to the council stated that the noise and light coming from the pitch meant they could no longer enjoy the properties they had earmarked for their retirement.
Mr Kidd added: “While we appreciate that noise pollution can be a nuisance we can only state the obvious that where there is any gathering of people there will likely not be silence.
“However, it is equally worth noting, as the planning department did in their planning permission report, that there has been football pitches and the associated training and games on the site for many tens of years.
“We therefore find it inconceivable that the installation of the pitch has so significantly altered the local amenity from when our neighbours selected their ‘ideal property’ as to have turned them into ‘somewhat like a prison’.”
The club claim the new 3G pitch has seen them increase the number of young members and establish their first pan-disability team.
Mr Kidd said: “The club’s aim in submitting this application is not to inconvenience our neighbours but to further develop our ability to support our members and the wider community in leading healthy, active and positive lives.”