A bowls club in Rottingdean has applied to relax planning conditions imposed when a renovation of its clubhouse was approved last month which would end evening matches.
Rottingdean Bowling Club, in Falmer Road, is seeking to vary six conditions of its planning permission to renovate its clubhouse, build a storage unit and replace the changing rooms and toilets.
Among variations to soundproofing and tree protection conditions, the club wants to extend the formal hours of opening later into the evening, to 10pm, arguing that evening matches would not be possible without the extension.
The variation to extend operational hours to allow evening matches has six comments of support from various bowls club members.
A public comment by Norman Watson, the president of Rottingdean Bowling Club, said: “I must point out that we already play bowls outside after 8pm and have done so for many, many years.
“To impose such restrictions would severely affect the way the bowling club operates and prevent us from participating in matches that every other bowling club is able to do.
“During the season we play several matches starting at 6pm which don’t finish until about 9pm. However, allowing for late arrivals of opponents and the activity associated with clearing away the equipment, these could finish half an hour or so later than this.
“It is a well-established practice to play in the evening past 8pm and as far as I know every bowling club in Brighton and Hove, and in Sussex, play evening matches in one league or another during the outdoor season (early April to early October).
“Not being able to do so would have a detrimental effect on the club and its members.”
His comment also said that evening matches started at 6pm so that members who worked could compete midweek in club, district and Sussex-wide competitions.
Club secretary Margaret Kimber said: “This restriction to 8pm means our members cannot take part in any county events because the time they start is at 6pm and they take at least three hours.
“It’s going to mean a huge gap in our bowling calendar and it means we can’t be involved in any county events at all which would be a great shame because many of them this year were very successful and put Rottingdean on the map.”
Other variations include adding soundproofing due to compliance with building regulations and removing a noise condition due to these noise reduction measures.
The club also proposes to eliminate a condition related to access and parking because of the existing access arrangements.
A condition regarding tree protection would be removed because the design already protects existing trees and the club also wants to scrap a condition relating to windows because the plans already include approved window types.
The application was granted permission on Wednesday 5 July, with only two votes against the application at a meeting of Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee at Hove Town Hall.
This was despite objections from Brighton and Hove Independent councillor Bridget Fishleigh, who represents Rottingdean and West Saltdean, and from some neighbours.
The club, which has been on the site since 1934, signed a 25-year lease with the council in 2021, taking on responsibility for maintenance to the club.
To read the application, visit the planning portal on the council’s website and search for BH2023/00157.
Shame full.
Does the council really think a bowls club is going to have a rave, outside parties on the bowling green or racing drivers leaving the bowls club after a bowls match.
Maybe the members should go out and support other electable candidates at the next ellection
I have bowled many times at rottingdean bowls club, Evening bowls is an asset to any club. Many bowlers these days are young and Middle aged people who go to work. Evening bowling is essential to any club. Are local councils now going to stop evening cricket football etc. in council parks. Stop evening drinking outside pubs . I am glad I don’t live in Rotting Dene.
I bet Rottingdean Bowls Club parties can get proper messy.
I don’t know of any other club that has this restriction placed on it, as it means no participation in county competitions which what every club wants to enter. It is only a few rather quiet people playing a very gentle sport, which has been happening for many years so why change it.
EVERY BOWLING CLUB MUST HAVE THE RIGHT TO PLAY BOWLS IN THE EVENING AS A LOT OF BOWLERS WORK DURING THE DAY AND BY THE TIME THEY GET HOME HAVE A MEAL AND SHOWER THEY WILL PROBABLY GET ON THE GREEN ABOUT 1900 TO START PLAYING WHAT COUNCIL WOULD TRY TO RESTRICT PEOPLE HAVING GOOD FUN COMPANY AND EXERCISE
It is far better to write cogently than think that capital letters make a point. Readers ignore the capital-letter screaming.
Well many times you have to shout to get heard, and you must be one of the complainers, if you think CAPITALS ARE SHOUTING!!
It is generally accepted, since the birth of the internet, that excessive capital letters is both abnoxious and shouting.
We talk about exercise, mental health and friendship. The local authority pay lip service to this. This Club has been at the ste since the 1930s and agreed a new lease with the City Council.Clearly some elected members have not thought this through. What is up with the Independent Councillor, it is on her patch.Sign the objectors up and give them a game.
As scottish umpire irecently attended a match in the evening ,started at 7 pm and with 5 burnt ends did not finish until 5 minutes past ten
Late starts and finishes are common in scotland
At Burgess Hill a triples match club competition took place on Monday night including 4 workers starting at 6pm and didn’t finish until after 9pm. Imagine a football club having the same restrictions it would be unheard of! Bowls England need to be supporting this application
All I would ask is that the bowlers park their cars with more consideration if this change goes through. There are already many occasions where cars are parked half on pavement right up to the zig zags at the zebra crossing which does cause daytime traffic to back up and the number 2 bus struggles to pass by, often going over to the oncoming traffic. Evening rush hour sees traffic jams along that stretch of road and I can see the bowlers parking habits causing further issues.
I’m not a fan of kerb parking at the best of times. Pavements are for people, after all. If there’s not enough space, then parking shouldn’t be allowed in that particular spot, in my opinion.
I bet the curfew was just a generic one applied. I’ve seen it a few times now. Good thing, in each of these instances, common sense has been given soon afterward.
Sounds like the template needs improving, in my opinion.
I can not believe in this day and age of obesity and the national drive to encourage exercise this Councilor is objecting to people, especially those who work during the day, taking gentle but useful exercise in the evening. Plus there must be the other benefit of helping with or preventing mental health issues, now often reported, by people in stressful jobs. Perhaps this Councilor should give lawn bowls a try.
Every where in the country that plays Green bowls has evening matches. In Devon we have the Mens evening league. Less ladies play in evenings but where we play a club with working members we too play in the evening. It’s not a rowdy sport. The council’s restrictions are ridiculous.
Elizabeth, Plympton Bowling Club
The minutes state that the club had a representative at the committee meeting and actually addressed councillors about the application. The architect was also there who could / should have addressed some of the conditions relating to the design.
Did the representative raise the curfew then?
The 20.00 condition (and other conditions) was listed in the planning officers report which was made public a week before the meeting and is part of the agenda papers available on the councils website for anyone to read.
Did anyone at the club read the report before the meeting so their representative could challenge it or even call the officer beforehand to ask “is 8pm correct?”
It’s my experience that planing officers will raise possible conditions with the applicant before their report to committee is finalised. In many cases applicants will agree to them before the meeting.
This planning application should have been dealt with successfully at the beginning of the year 2023.
Thanks to the murky dealings and lobbying of the independent councillors calling the project in to planning committee, we are now 8 months delayed resulting in a complete waste of time and expense for club.
Lets hope if this application goes to another committee hearing that members will vote responsibly. Ultimately, if refused, the planning inspectorate can be informed and called in to make common sense of what we consider unworkable and senseless conditions.