Tennis courts bid rejected following complaints

Neighbours have complained about the disruption caused by the tennis courts

A school has faced criticism from its neighbours over plans to keep its tennis courts open for longer.

City of Norwich School, on Eaton Road, had hoped to be able to extend the opening times on weekday evenings and open them on Sundays.

However, the application was refused by Norwich City Council's planning committee after hearing from neighbours who said their lives were being disrupted by loud noise and bright lights.

One of them, Raymond Clark, said: "We can hear every bounce, every hit of the ball and every word."

The application was to extend the opening time from 19:00 BST to 20:30 BST on weekdays and open for an extra four hours on Saturdays, closing at 17:00 BST, as well opening on Sundays.

Mr Clark said: "We are very glad when the courts shut and we can relax, read our books and enjoy conversation without the noise."

City of Norwich School had hoped to extend its tennis courts opening hours

During the meeting on Thursday, the committee heard complaints about the floodlights at the site which were said to shine into the gardens and homes of neighbours.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the school recently had to reduce the height of the lights after they were deemed to be in breach of planning conditions.

Councillors decided that this issue, along with difficulties in contacting the school over noise concerns, had cause locals to "lose faith".

Carli Harper, a Labour councillor, said the school had "treated the local community with a degree of contempt".

She added: "It is hard to ignore its past behaviours - there have been long-running difficulties in the operation of this site.

"I am concerned by the lack of willingness by the school to discuss some of these very real concerns with residents."

A spokesperson for the school said the courts were an "important part of the diverse range of outdoor facilities" it offered.

They added: "Due to growing demand, and in partnership with national sporting organisations, our trust is working to expand community access to the courts. We have, together with the trust, held two consultation events with residents to discuss the proposed changes and gather feedback."

The school said it had commissioned a noise assessment and proposed an acoustic fence.

"Although the initial planning proposal wasn't accepted, we are committed to working with the community and relevant parties involved to support ongoing work," it said.