Agenda item

(To consider a report from John Monk, Head of Design Services, which invites the Committee to consider and comment on a report which proposes updates to the Street Lighting Policy, including options and a recommendation for lighting on new developments, prior to a decision being taken by the Executive Councillor for Highways Transport and IT between 25 April - 3 May 2022)

Consideration was given to a report from John Monk, Head of Design Services, which invited the Committee to consider and comment on a report which proposed updates to the Street Lighting Policy, including options and a recommendation for lighting on new developments, prior to a decision being taken by the Executive Councillor for Highways Transport and IT between 25 April - 3 May 2022.Members were given an overview of the Street Lighting Transformation Project, implemented in 2016/17, and the subsequent 2018 Scrutiny Review which considered the impact of part-night lighting. The funding made available for the Transformation project allowed approximately 42,000 lights to be converted to part-night operation, 18,000 to be converted to LED and approximately 850 to be switched off completely. A further update to the Policy was made in 2019, allowing precept-raising councils in Lincolnshire to fund the conversion of otherwise part-night lit lights to operate all night. The actions taken through the Street Lighting Transformation project and use of LED technology reduced annual energy consumption for street lighting by 14.3m kw/hour. This reduction, saved £2.58m per annum. The Committee were given an overview of the five options available and were reminded that, if permanent obstructions were included within the development design, all night lighting would automatically be required. Moreover, in all options where no street lighting was the outcome, it should be noted that a Speed Limit Order was likely to be required on adoption of the development road.

The Chairman invited Mr David Matthews to address the Committee as a concerned resident hoping to bring some matters to the Committee’s attention:

·       Mr Matthews suggested that the life cycle of 95 per cent of current street lights would not extend beyond three years after installation, therefore the Council may want to pursue a wholesale conversion to LED lights to promote long term viability and value for money.

·       Concerns were raised that the replacement of the ‘dusk dawn’ switch for part-night lights created unpredictable timings for street lighting. He feared that the lack of street lighting in the early hours of the morning would result in emergency service vehicles, particularly ambulances, struggling to locate residents.

·       He reminded the Committee that any deficiencies within the design of street lighting could result in a risk to public safety leading to investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and possible impacts to the Council’s insurance liability premiums.

The Chairman invited the Head of Design Services to respond to Mr Matthews’ comments:

·       Part-night light safety, technical and affordability issues were considered as part of a Scrutiny Review that took place in 2018. HSE had not raised any concerns in relation to safety due to the implementation of part-night lighting across local authorities that had adopted it. In addition, converting to part-night lighting reduced carbon emissions and saved several million-kilowatt hours.

·       It was explained that the issue preventing wholesale conversion to LED was up-front affordability and added that the Council were in the middle of a six-year programme to convert low pressure sodium lights to LED with the support of Salix loans. The possibility of converting existing lights back to all night operations would be prohibitively expensive, requiring a reversal of the programme completed in 2016-17. Additionally, it was emphasised that when the conversion to part-night lighting took place in 2016-17, the labour requirements effectively paused all routine maintenance other than emergency fault responses.

The Committee considered the report, and during the discussion the following comments were

noted:-

·       In reference to residential placemaking lighting, Members asked if the Policy included and adopted the lights that were in situ or whether they would not be suitable in accordance with Option Five being put forward. The Head of Design Services assurance the Committee that there was no change where such arrangements already exist.

·       Members also asked, where precepting authorities could request to fund the lighting for placemaking purposes, whether it would be extended to larger organisations or businesses seeking for their vicinities to be lit, and if this would be included in the Policy if appropriate. One member raised concerns in relation to a particular site where some businesses operated from 4am and there were a number of workers that arrived on site on foot. The Head of Design Services explained that, although this had been considered, the risk of businesses volatility rendered such an option unviable as, where a business may shut and move out of premisses, light arrangements would, by default, revert to the Council being the Highway Authority. Therefore, the decision of taking forward a proposal from a large organisation would go through the relevant Parish or District Council, and where funds were provided for this, the final decision would be taken by the local representatives of the general population.

• Noting that the £2.58m of savings, indicated in the report, exceeded the target of £1.7m, Members asked why street lights were not activated between 12am and 6am, particularly when street lighting was high priority concern for their residents. The Head of Design Services noted that the sums quoted in the report accounted for rises in energy costs since the Street Lighting Transformation Project was implemented and explained that the additional savings translated to amounts that were not required to be spent, rather than cashable savings.

·       Members asked if consultation with relevant authorities gave statistical indications of the impact changes in lighting may have on accident and crime. The Head of Design Services explained that, when the Street Lighting Transformation Project was implemented in 2016-17, work was carried out closely with the Lincolnshire Community Safety Partnership in order to identify areas of relatively high criminal activity. Moreover, as part of the 2018 Scrutiny Review, night-time crime data was obtained from Lincolnshire Community Safety Partnership and the Police from prior to implementation up to 2018. There was no demonstrable link between changes in crime levels and the changes in streetlights. The Head of Design Services suggested that the perception of crime may promote an apparent collation, however there wasn’t evidence to support this.

·       Concern was raised by Members to areas with a generally older population and higher emergency service demand. The Head of Design Services explained that this was also looked at as part of the 2018 Scrutiny Review. He went on to emphasise that Lincolnshire was a wide geographical area with numerous rural remote locations where there was an absence of streetlight. Consultation with emergency services indicated that these were well prepared, equipped and trained to respond to calls across the county, including in unlit areas.

·       A Member reported that, following the deactivation of street lighting columns in 2016/17, a Parish Council sought to finance the reactivation of lights in their area. The Head of Design Services agreed to discuss possible inclusion in the revised Policy in consultation with the Executive Councillor for Highways, Transport and IT, although he stressed there were a diminishing number of dormant columns within the County. 

·       The Committee were advised that Option Five allowed planners and developers to move away from traditional streetlights on new developments, transitioning from highway lighting to placemaking and footway lighting at a lower level, potentially employing bollards style lighting, creating thus a more intimate feeling of place whilst maintaining higher levels of perceived safety.

RESOLVED

1.       That the Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee’s support of recommendation five of the report to the Executive, made in the Policy Street Lighting Policy Update 2022 report.

2.       That the Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee agreed that the comments listed above be forwarded on to the Executive in relation to this item.