Notts: Council set to turn street lights back on

Notts County Council have listened to residents concerns as it is set to reverse its part-night lighting policy which has seen street lights turned off in some parts of the county.
Street light  (w120118-12a)Street light  (w120118-12a)
Street light (w120118-12a)

A report going to the Council’s policy committee on 18th September recommends that street lights be switched back on.

It also proposes the continued introduction of dimming of lights and the use of dimmable LED lights wherever possible.

Following concerns raised by residents, the Council is proposing to revise the project to halt the part-night lighting programme, except where local communities specifically request it, to turn lights back on.

Last year lights were already turned back on in certain parts of Worksop and Langold.

Langold presented a petition signed by 500 residents forcing the council to do a u-turn.

Coun Sheila Place, councillor for Blyth and Harworth, said: “I’m really pleased that the petition has been sorted at last.”

“I took a petition to them ages ago.”

Residents will be glad to see them back on.”

“They have been living in dread, they have had their sheds broken into.”

“It is not nice for people coming in and out in the dark.”

“Night workers need some light and for the day workers going out early and coming back later.”

“They will all be pleased that they’re coming back on.”

Now the council are recommending that all the lights be switched back on and an alternative is found to part night lighting.

Coun Kevin Greaves, chairman of the County Council’s transport and highways committee, said: “We have listened to residents’ concerns about the perceived risk of crime and personal safety in some of the areas in which the part-night programme was introduced.”

“These concerns included some elderly residents who felt more vulnerable without street lighting and those residents working shifts who set off for or returned from work without lighting.”

“Fortunately, advances in energy-saving lighting technology over the last three years and viable alternatives to part-night lighting mean that we can now meet the required energy and CO2 savings through dimming and converting lights to dimmable LEDs when they are due for replacement.”

With the on-going rise in energy prices the Council is continuing to implement a programme of street lighting energy-saving measures to help control costs.

Previously, this included part-night lighting in appropriate residential areas and dimming or switching off streetlights, where appropriate, on main roads.