Residents oppose 3G pitch plans over noise fears

Members of the Save Wood Lane group raised concerns at a council meeting

Campaigners have heavily criticised a council for its plans to build a 3G football pitch in a Lincolnshire town.

A group of Louth residents attended a council meeting where they opposed the proposal to build an artificial grass pitch on the Wood Lane playing field.

The Save Wood Lane group raised concerns about the loss of green space and potential noise issues.

East Lindsey District Council (ELDC) submitted a planning application for the pitch in July, which put forward opening hours of 08:00 until 22:00 GMT, seven days a week.

At the council meeting on Wednesday James Timson, leader of the group, said the council had chosen the wrong site for the development and the plans would "plunge" residents into "green space deprivation".

"Save Wood Lane are in support of new football facilities in Louth but we cannot stand by and let our beloved playing field get destroyed," he added.

One resident said she was concerned the "monstrous" pitch would cause potential noise - a concern the council's environmental health team had also noted.

Councillor Graham Marsh said the 3G pitch would be an improvement on the current field as it would allow people to play football more often and for longer periods.

Marsh added the council had considered ways to address concerns, like building an almost 10ft-high (3m) acoustic barrier to minimise noise.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, ELDC's planning committee will decide on the development's future next year.

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