The county council has now begun a formal consultation exercise on its street lighting policy, details of which have been reproduced below.
Now is our opportunity to let the council know that we need lighting in these areas to ensure the safety of pedestrians and road users alike, and that these roads are absolutely vital in maintaining links between our communities.
If together we fail to put the case on behalf of our villages and their residents we risk losing street lighting in this particular area. Please note that the consultation ends on Thursday 26 September 2013.
Street lighting policy consultation
This consultation gives you the chance to have your say on updates to the street lighting policy for County Durham.
Timetable
This consultation began on Thursday 18 July and ends on Thursday 26 September 2013.
How you can get involved
You can have your say in the following ways:
- Read the background information and complete the online survey below.
- Call us on the contact number at the bottom of this page for a paper copy of the survey.
Background information
The street lighting policy sets out where street lighting will be provided on the highway and to what standard.
The need for street lighting varies by location. Each locality in the county is placed into one of four environmental zones in accordance with national standards. The environmental zones are used to determine the level and type of street lighting that is required in an area.
We are updating the street lighting policy to enable us to carry out the street lighting energy reduction project which aims to reduce carbon emissions by 7,500 tonnes per year and reduce energy consumption. The project is expected to generate savings of £24 million over 25 years.
Durham County Council is required to make total savings of at least £188 million in the period from 2011 to 2017. The council is also aiming to reduce its carbon emissions by 40% between 2008 and 2015 as part of the authority’s carbon management programme.
The Street Lighting Energy Reduction Project will take place over six years and will be achieved through a combination of:
- Upgrading 41,000 street lights with light emitting diode (LED) lights which are more energy efficient.
- Dimming of LED lights overnight.
- Removal of lighting from areas where it is safe to do so (not residential areas).
- Removal of lighting of some traffic signs.
We carried out a trial of LED street lighting in Chester-le-Street and asked residents for their comments in 2012 to help us evaluate the system.
Updates to street lighting policy
The main updates to the street lighting policy are around dimming of lights, removal of lights, and lighting of traffic signs.
Dimming of lights
LED street lights which are installed as part of the street lighting energy reduction project will have the facility to be dimmed.
The updated policy proposes that, where these LED lights are installed:
- between 10.00pm and midnight, lighting levels will be dimmed by 25%
- between midnight and 5.00am, lighting levels will be dimmed by 50%
Removal of lights
As part of the street lighting energy reduction project, we are identifying street lights in the county which may be considered suitable for removal. These lights are most likely to be on traffic routes in rural areas between towns and villages. We estimate there are 7,000 street lights in County Durham that are suitable for removal.
The updated policy proposes that where it has been identified that existing street lighting is not required, we will carry out a full risk assessment to determine whether it is safe for it to be removed. The risk assessment will take account of road safety records and fear of crime issues. We will only remove street lights where it is safe to do so and will not remove street lights from residential areas.
Lighting of traffic signs
The Department for Transport recently introduced changes to its regulation which allows for lighting to be removed from certain traffic signs, provided the signs are replaced with reflective signs which are visible in headlights.
The updated policy proposes that where the Department for Transport allows, lit traffic signs will be replaced with reflective signs.
Policy and cabinet report
The policy was considered by the County Council's Cabinet on 17 July 2013. The report and policy can be viewed online -Cabinet reports for 17 July 2013.
Have your say
You can take part in this consultation by completing the Street lighting policy online survey
For further details go to the DCC website at:
www.durham.gov.uk and search for street lighting consultation.