MCC's temporary floodlights application

Date released: 6 May 2008

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has submitted a planning application to Westminster City Council for six temporary floodlights at Lord’s Cricket Ground to be installed at the start of each cricket season from 2009 for a period of five years.

A computer-generated image of how the floodlights could look

The floodlights are an integral part of MCC's plans to continue to attract top class one day and Twenty20 cricket matches and its overall vision of improving Lord's for future generations of cricketers, Members and cricket fans.

The application follows an in–depth study by MCC which looked at the growing demand for these games, both in England and overseas, coupled with the increasing trend of day/night fixtures.

By providing temporary floodlights, which can be easily dismantled at the end of each season, Lord’s will be able to retain its competitiveness in attracting these crucial games. This is particularly relevant to the ICC World Twenty20 England 2009 tournament.

Lord’s is one of three grounds which will host this event, conditional on the provision of floodlights that meet England and Wales Board (ECB) standards and the requirements of broadcasters.

Minimise spill & glare

MCC has already experimented with temporary mobile floodlighting for a day/night match in 2007 but found that it failed to meet ECB Standards and was unable to control light spill and glare effectively. A further day/night trial with temporary mobile floodlights is scheduled for August 2008 to address some of these issues.

The temporary floodlights now proposed for 2009, however, are specifically designed for Lord’s and will implement a higher quality, more accurate lighting solution to minimise light spill for local residents and eliminate glare for players, umpires, broadcasters and spectators. Importantly it will also enable MCC to continue to monitor the impact of floodlighting on both the game and across the wider neighbourhood over a longer period of time and will therefore inform a permanent solution in due course.

MCC Secretary and Chief Executive, Keith Bradshaw, said:
"Floodlights are now a key component for staging one day and Twenty20 matches.

Bradshaw: Keen to minimise the effect of the floodlights on locals "This application provides a solution to floodlighting for the ICC World Twenty20 England 2009 tournament, a major international sporting event, as well as matches over the next five years. As the home of cricket globally, it is crucial that Lord’s continues to host these games."

"The temporary option has been developed following a thorough analysis of floodlighting solutions. It's important that we take into account the effect on the local area as well as how it fits in with the Lord’s Masterplan, which will see significant and long-term improvements at Lord’s."

Application details

• The application seeks temporary planning permission for the floodlights for a period of five years
• The lights will be erected for the whole season and taken down for the winter months
• Floodlit matches will finish at 21:00 during the World Cup but there is a provision for an extension for the final in the case of bad weather
• Other floodlit matches from the 2009 season onwards will finish by no later than 22:40
• Assembly and disassembly will take approximately one week
• The lights will be erected from inside the Ground using mobile cranes
• There will be six floodlights in total
• The corner floodlights behind the Warner, Compton, Edrich and Tavern Stands will be 47.7 metres tall, whilst the two side floodlights behind the Mound Stand and Grandstand will be 34.2 metres in height.
• The lighting head frames will add a further 3.5 metres to these heights.
• The temporary nature of the structures has influenced the design which is based on crane technology