‘HUGELY exciting’ is how Teignmouth AFC manager Liam Jones described news that the club has been granted conditional planning permission for floodlights.

The Teigns currently play in the Devon Football League – which is at Step Seven of the non-league pyramid.

That’s the highest level they can reach without carrying out certain ground improvements, the main one being the installation of floodlights.

Last week’s decision opens the door for the first team to progress to higher divisions, as well as creating opportunities to host more age group and ladies’ teams.

‘Permission for floodlights was first granted in the eighties but nothing materialised and there hadn’t been much progress since then,’ Jones, pictured, explained.

‘Getting floodlights was our biggest obstacle. Without them we have reached our ceiling, and we’d be massively restricted in terms of what we can do at the club.

‘But this news is a huge pick-me-up. Once everything is done there won’t really be anything in our way as we look to progress up the pyramid.

‘The positivity at the club is overwhelming. It’s definitely added another bit of excitement.

‘The players have been loyal and bought into it all. As a committee we promised to them we’d do all we can, and this is us proving that. Now it’s their turn to go and win promotion.’

Under the conditions of approval, the club will be able to use the lights between 6.30pm and 9.45pm on Wednesdays and 3.45pm and 6pm on Saturdays from November to March inclusive.

The club also has up to three years before the permission expires to install the floodlights – when they will be subject to a post-installation lighting assessment.

Should they gain promotion to the South West Peninsula League at the first time of asking, that timescale will come down to two years.

In her delegated report, case officer Jennifer Joule wrote: ‘The Local Planning Authority has weighed the benefits of the proposal against the harm and considers that, on balance, the application should be recommended for approval.

‘This decision is based on the benefits of the proposal in terms of the recreational and sporting benefits for local residents which will arise from an enhanced use arrangement, with more training and matches able to be played, and the possibility of promotion to a higher league.

‘Disturbance of two dwellings above the E2 lux level one weekday night per week, and on Saturday until 6pm, is considered a low level of disturbance should it allow a significant expansion of the club’s winter operations.’

Officials at the Coombe Valley club will now look to source three separate quotes for the work before focussing on funding.

Jones explained: ‘We’ll engage with contractors to get some prices, and when it comes to Football Foundation funding I think we’d need to put up 30 per cent.

‘That will ultimately be through fundraising and sponsors helping us out. I’d be naive if I didn’t think that Covid hasn’t absorbed some of those funds, but we’ll make something work.’

The plans received more than 50 comments in either support or objection on Teignbridge Council’s planning portal – with most of the concerns relating to light pollution and the impact on the nearby Coombe Valley Nature Reserve.

TDC’s environmental officer ultimately raised no objections after the club agreed to the hours of use and an environmental assessment. Teignmouth Town Council also had no issues.

‘I’d encourage anyone with any concerns to come and talk to us,’ Jones said. ‘If it wasn’t for Covid I’m sure we would’ve reached out even more than we have.

‘I feel that there is a lot of misguided negativity. People see us as only one team, whereas we’re actually set to have 10 next season.

‘Some of the opinions will be valid and the club has to carry that history, but if people pay us a visit I’m confident their perceptions of us will change.

‘The focus is really upon building a sustainable football club, so that if I or anyone on the committee steps away it will continue to run.

‘A town the size of Teignmouth deserves to have a thriving football club.’