Referees have been banned from blowing their whistles on a local football pitch after angry neighbours complained about the noise. Cornwallis Academy near Maidstone has been unable to use their football pitch since August because of a ban on whistles by Maidstone Council.
![[Cornwallis Academy in Boughton Monchelsea near Maidstone, Kent. Release date ? January 16, 2025. A secondary school has been unable to use its new ?700k sports pitch - because the noise from referees' whistles upsets the neighbours. Cornwallis Academy in Boughton Monchelsea near Maidstone, Kent has a brand new 3G artificial grass surface which it has been forbidden from using since August. But it?s not health and safety concerns barring its use - but rather the noise from the referees? whistles disturbing locals.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236187023-92fb.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
It has meant a new £700,000 sports pitch in Kent is going unused. Not only has the school been banned from using it, but so have local sports clubs who use it on evenings and weekends. The council expressed concern about the noise impact of the pitch during construction, which the school responded to by saying they would ban whistles outside of school hours.
![[Cornwallis Academy in Maidstone can't use their new £700,000 sports pitch after neighbours complained about referees whistles, story number 14291227 https://www.velocity-sports.co.uk/case-studies/cornwallis-academy/#:~:text=Cornwallis%20Academy%20in%20Maidstone%20now,surveys%20and%20obtained%20planning%20consent.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236153974_f2b231.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Their proposal was accepted and the pitch was built in January 2023 on the condition a no-whistle policy was applied. But the rule was never upheld, which led to neighbours complaining of the nose pollution caused by whistles, which now went on long past school hours and continued at weekends.
![[Cornwallis Academy in Boughton Monchelsea near Maidstone, Kent. Release date ? January 16, 2025. A secondary school has been unable to use its new ?700k sports pitch - because the noise from referees' whistles upsets the neighbours. Cornwallis Academy in Boughton Monchelsea near Maidstone, Kent has a brand new 3G artificial grass surface which it has been forbidden from using since August. But it?s not health and safety concerns barring its use - but rather the noise from the referees? whistles disturbing locals.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236186970-1ef7.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
When one angry resident reported the council for failing to enforce its own planning conditions, the authority was obliged to threaten enforcement action against the school. But because the academy had breached its planning permission, the pitch could now not be used at all – even during school hours by the students.
Since then, both the school and council have been trying to find a solution. A noise survey produced by the school allegedly shows that the use of the pitch causes little to no disturbance – but neighbours claim the sound of the whistles is a constant source of disturbance.
