Energy-saving plans to change streetlighting move forward

Plans are moving forward to save energy and cut down on light pollution by upgrading streetlights so they can switch themselves off in the middle of the night.

Shropshire Council approved proposals to convert 70% of its streetlights to ‘part-night lighting’ in September 2011, meaning they are lit until midnight and then switch themselves off until 5.30am.  Work is due to start on the first lights in the programme in mid-June.

Not every light will be affected, and more than 6,000 lights will remain in dusk to dawn operation.  Since the original proposals were approved last year, a lot of work has taken place involving engineers, the police, and parish and town council representatives, on a risk assessment to decide which lights should be included in the scheme.

It takes 8.7 million kilowatt-hours of power (and 4,750 tonnes of carbon) to run the council’s 18,500 streetlights, illuminated signs and traffic signals every year, which is the same amount of power used by 2,600 homes in a typical year.

Converting 12,500 of these lights to part-night lighting will reduce energy use by 20% – a saving of 1.7 million kilowatt-hours of power and almost 1,000 tonnes of carbon.

Carefully selected lights were switched off between midnight and 5.30am in Church Stretton in October 2011, and following the success of that pilot, the plan is to gradually roll out to the rest of the county over the next three to four years.

A work programme has now been agreed, which will see lights converted as they are maintained by the council’s contractors, Ringway.

The first lights to be converted will be in the areas to the south of Shrewsbury in mid-June, followed by southern Shropshire in July, August and September, and Shrewsbury later in the year.  Other areas of Shrewsbury and Oswestry will then follow during 2013-14, with north Shropshire and Bridgnorth areas planned for 2014-15.

Not all lights will be converted, because some are maintained by town and parish councils, and others are exempt from the scheme because they are close to a busy road junction, near sheltered housing or other safety reasons.  An interactive map is on Shropshire Council’s website which will allow people to enter their postcode and see what lights near them will be changing.

The webpages at shropshire.gov.uk/streetlighting.nsf also include lists of which streets are included in the scheme and how many lights in those streets will be converted.  If you don’t have access to a computer or the Internet you can visit your local library or Broadplace, or call 0345 678 9000 to see if any lights in your street will be changing.

Posters are also being put up in libraries, on parish noticeboards and on lighting columns in streets where changes are taking place.

Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for streetlighting, said:

“We have been discussing these proposals and preparing the plans for a long time now, and I hope people understand the benefits that these changes will have.  We will reduce carbon emissions, save energy costs, cut down on light pollution and help stargazers see the night sky.

“Lots of other areas are already doing this, such as Devon, Powys and Leicestershire, and we have been talking to them about their experiences to make sure we get it right in Shropshire.  We have had detailed discussions with the emergency services and town and parish council representatives about which lights are included in the scheme, and it’s important to remember that every streetlight will still be on until midnight.  A lot of work has gone into the exemption criteria, so things like dangerous road junctions are not included and other factors have being taken into consideration.”

A West Mercia Police spokesperson added:

“A multi-agency group has been involved in these plans from the outset, and local policing teams will of course be monitoring the effects of these changes closely.  However, it should be noted that the evidence from other parts of the country is that crime has actually decreased where lights have been converted to part-night lighting.”

Further notes

The programme for 2012-13 is as follows:

June 2012

Bayston Hill

Minsterley, Westbury and Yockleton

July 2012

Pontesbury and Pontesford, Nesscliffe

Montford Bridge, Atcham, Grafton, Hanwood, Ford, Dorrington

Bowmere Heath, Condover, Cressage, Cross Houses

Bishop’s Castle

Church Stretton

August 2012

Bucknell, Cleobury Mortimer, Burford

Craven Arms, Lydbury North, Middleton, Onibury, Winstantow 

Clee Hill, Clun, Ludlow

September to December 2012

Clee Hill, Clun, Ludlow

north Shrewsbury

January 2013, February 2013

west Shrewsbury

To see which lights are due to be converted street by street, go to shropshire.gov.uk/streetlighting.nsf