FLOODLIGHTS at independent school pitches in Glastonbury will prevent students being bussed to a different town for training – if plans are approved.

Millfield Preparatory School, which offers day and boarding places to around 470 pupils, has applied to Somerset Council for permission to install lights on pitches at Edgarley Hall.

The application said: “The core sports offered by the school include tennis, netball and hockey, the latter two being undertaken predominantly in the winter months.

“The lack of floodlighting of these playing surfaces means that the ability to offer group and one-to-one coaching opportunities outside the normal timetable are very limited.”

It said being able to play under floodlights between the hours of 7am and 7pm “would enhance capacity for coaching, with additional pre-breakfast and early evening sessions”.

How the lights would illuminate the pitches, according to the application. Picture: Clive Miller Planning/Somerset Council

“It would also allow the school to host a wider range of local, regional and national competitions, without running the risk of losing light,” it said.

“Currently, due to the lack of floodlights, coaching staff routinely transport students to the Senior School site in Street to use floodlit pitches.”

They said the 12km (7.5 mile) round trip is currently made in minibuses, each carrying up to 12 children.

“Clearly, this situation is not sustainable in planning terms from an environmental or an economic perspective,” the application said.

If approved, the floodlights would also enable Millfield to allow access to the facilities to more organisations in Glastonbury, the plans said, during the winter months.

Three sets of lights would be installed under the plans, serving a hockey pitch, tennis court and triple netball/netball courts.

A previous plan for floodlights on the site was refused, with the height and hours of use of the proposed lights reduced.

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“In comparison to the previously refused scheme, although there are a higher number of poles proposed, the technical specification reduces both the height of the proposed poles and also the level of illuminance and spill across the site,” the plans added.

“The floodlights would all be directional and focused on specific parts of each playing area to reduce the beam elevation and thus minimise the intensity of light projected outside of the site.

“This also has the advantage of reducing the source intensity of each floodlight when viewed from surrounding vantage points.”