# Vestacare Stadium, Whitebank Road, Oldham (extended hours for 2 events a year)

- **Decision:** dismissed, 20 August 2026
- **Decided by:** Planning Inspector: K Mee
- **Authority:** Oldham (North West)
- **Appeal reference:** 6009498
- **Application reference:** VAR/354748/25
- **Procedure:** written-representations
- **Development:** s73 variation of hours and floodlight conditions on a 3G pitch to allow two non-football events a year until 11pm (May-Sept)
- **Site context:** inside-settlement
- **Green Belt:** no
- **Framework applied:** August 2026 NPPF
- **Determinative policies:** P3(1), P3(2)(b), P3(2)(d), P3(2)(e), DP3(2)(a)
- **Development plan policies:** Oldham Joint Core Strategy 2011 Policy 9
- **Main issues:** living conditions (noise and light)
- **Tags:** tier-2, s73, noise, missing-evidence, old-to-new-mapping, transitional-no-consultation

## Summary
A request to extend a community football stadium's pitch and floodlight hours to 11pm on two summer event days a year was dismissed. There was no noise evidence, and a draft event management plan could not mitigate the harm (DL ¶9, ¶11). The letter maps the new P3 and DP3 limbs expressly onto 2024 ¶¶135(f) and 198(a) (DL ¶13).

## What made the difference
No acoustic evidence despite a previous refusal, and summer-evening timing when neighbours' windows and gardens are in use (DL ¶8-9).

## Policy findings
- **P3: fail.** no noise evidence; extended noise and light on summer evenings close to homes; conflicts with P3(1), P3(2)(b),(d),(e) and DP3(2)(a), which are "broadly consistent" with old paras 135(f) and 198(a) (DL 8-13)
- **HE9: neutral.** no harm to the adjoining Garden Suburb Conservation Area (DL 7)

## Key facts
- Earlier refusal for 4 event days a year; no technical noise information despite that (DL 9)
- Framework "does not change the planning policy context" (DL 2)

## Sources
- https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/comment-planning-appeal/appeals/6009498
- https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/published-document/ad545ac3-ba7b-4f94-9b11-dcfd6092cf92

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Source: https://planningdistilled.org/research/england/nppf-navigator/decisions/PINS-6009498.html

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