Some people in one Merseyside town say they are thinking of selling their homes due to noise from a football club.
Neighbours on Jubilee Road in Crosby say they are considering moving due to the recent expansion by Marine FC which is causing "untold stress" and making their life a "nightmare". They claim problems arose after Marine's 0-5 home defeat to Tottenham in the 3rd round of the FA cup in 2021.
With the money made from the match, the club based on College Road in Crosby expanded building a state-of-the-art 3G football pitch and a new bar and Bistro. Neighbours whose terraced gardens back onto the club's ground Marine Travel Arena, claim the once quiet street is now a haven for anti-social behaviour, a din of constant noise, and floodlights that remain on until 10pm every evening.
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The club which was founded in 1894 has always been at the heart of the community in Crosby. Over £500,000 was spent by Marine to install the new 3G football pitch which was completed in July and in a statment to the ECHO the club said the pitch is a "valuable community asset". Also stating that the overall usage is "much less than the hours permitted within the planning consent" allotted by Sefton Council.
Speaking to the ECHO Jo Beet who has lived on the road for the last eight years, she said: "When I moved in I knew there was a ground there, you can't miss it. Everyone on this street knew there would be some noise and at a maximum, there would be a game three times a week, now it is every day until 10pm.
"It has affected my neighbour's mental health so much that she has put her house up for sale. I can't deal with this, I can't sit in my yard at any time of day and it goes on 365 days a year."
However many residents who spoke to the ECHO have said they are now considering leaving the area. Marine now has a schedule which includes hosting league matches, academy training, and hiring out the pitch to local football teams. Including a function room and their bar 1894 Bar & Bistro.
One woman who has lived on Jubilee Road for 15 years said: "I'm on my own with two children, I work from home and now I feel like it is not my home anymore, I feel like it belongs to Marine. They determine what time my day starts, finishes, and what I am allowed to do.
"We have reported how damaging the noise and floodlights are to people's mental health. It goes against everything they claim to stand for as a figure of the community, they are just destroying hundreds of lives.
"I would love to leave but my house price is going to plummet and I feel like I'll be trapped here forever. Last night I went out for the evening because that is what I do now, as soon as I finish work I go out just to avoid the club, it is not normal and it does not feel like my house anymore."
A spokesperson for Marine FC said: "The club invested £500k of its own funds, with minimal grant assistance, into the new 3G pitch this summer, having played at the ground since 1903 with floodlights installed in 1977. As part of the planning process, Marine confirmed that there would be the usage of the new pitch during the daytime and additional evenings.
"Objections were raised by some local residents (as well as many expressions of support) which were considered by Sefton Council, the plans being passed unanimously by the Planning Committee. The club has existing permission to use the floodlights until 10.15pm and are the only business in the College Road area which has a car park, which is available for use by the public visiting the many other shops and businesses locally in addition to club premises."
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