Snc Doc SPG - Light Pollution

7/30/2019 Snc Doc SPG - Light Pollution

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South Northamptonshire Council

LIGHT POLLUTION

Supplementary Planning Guidance


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Light Pollution Supplementary Planning Guidance

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LIGHT POLLUTION

Introduction

The problems and issues associated with the provision of

outdoor lighting are becoming more widely recognised as

a source of pollution. Obtrusive lighting can be

damaging and be both an environmental and intrusive

visual nuisance arising predominantly from glare and

light spillage. Light pollution in the countryside can lead

to a suburban feel, losing the sense of distinctiveness

associated with the countryside.

Whilst the importance of artificial lighting for security,

pedestrian and traffic safety, in promoting access to sport

and recreation and for enhancing historic and

architecturally important buildings is recognised, lighting

can have a marked impact on the night time scene,

significantly changing the character of the locality andaltering wildlife and ecological patterns. On the widest

scale, dark skies and views of the stars are now becoming

a thing of the past except in the remotest of areas.

What is light pollution?

Light pollution is the term used to describe the

brightening of the night sky as a result of upwardly

directed light which is then reflected off dust and water

droplets in the sky.


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Light pollution can occur as:

sky glow - the orange glow visible around urban areasresulting from the scattering of artificial light by dust

particles and water droplets in the sky;

glare - the uncomfortable brightness of a light source

when viewed against a dark sky;

light trespass - light spillage beyond the boundary of the

property on which a light is located.

Problems of excessive artificial lighting

There is growing recognition of the potential problems arising

from artificial light within the environment. An increasing

amount of exterior lighting is being allowed to shine above the

horizontal and a significant proportion of this artificial light

ends up in the sky where it does nothing to increase vision orsecurity, but wastes electricity, money and finite resources.

There is no doubt that lighting is necessary for our daily lives,

but a lot of external lighting is poorly designed and misdirected

and some is even unnecessary.

Problems can arise from:

poorly designed street lighting in villages and towns; increasing ribbons of road lights cutting through our

countryside;

illuminated shop windows and advertising signs left onovernight;


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badly designed lighting in car parks and shopping centres; domestic security lighting which is poorly angled thereby

flooding the neighbourhood in light and accentuating the

darkness of the surrounding areas;

badly floodlit sports facilities, such as golf driving ranges,

or motorway service areas which bathe rural areas in

brightness;

new housing estates or shopping complexes with

discordant lighting, often much more intrusive than

neighbouring lighting; and

excessive lighting of churches and other architecturally

interesting buildings.

The key issues that cause the problems in any lighting scheme

are the levels of light produced, poor direction and excessive

hours of use. By establishing the objectives of any lightingscheme and agreeing guidelines a compromise can be met to

reduce the impact of any scheme and potentially save energy

and expense to the applicant.

Planning Policies

Whilst not all forms of lighting require planning permission,

local planning authorities can influence the public to protect the

unlit countryside and to reduce light pollution by including

policies in their local plans. At present, national planningguidance, structure and local plan policies do not adequately

address the issue of pollution from domestic or recreational

lighting.


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National Planning Policy Guidance on Planning and

Pollution Control 1994 (PPG23) permits local planning

authorities to incorporate policies regarding lighting within

their local plans. Paragraph 2.18 states that planning authorities

should take account of, in preparing Local Plan policies,

... the possible impact of potentially polluting development

on land use, including the effects on health, the natural

environment, or general amenity, resulting from releases

from water, land or air, or on noise, dust, vibration, light or

heat ...

With regard to recreation, PPG17 on Sport and Recreation

(1991) states in paragraph 31:

The local planning authority should seek adequate

information as a basis for making decisions on applications

involving the installation of floodlights. It may be possible

to grant permission subject to conditions, for examplelimiting the hours during which the lights may be switched

on, or requiring the installation of some sort of shielding. In

this way recreation can be encouraged wherever possible,

and not stifled by lack of information about the effects of a

particular development.

Although the South Northamptonshire Local Plan does not have

any specific policies regarding lighting, some control can be

exerted by ensuring that applications are consistent with Policy G3

which includes the following criteria:

PLANNING PERMISSION WILL NORMALLY BE GRANTED

WHERE DEVELOPMENT :

(D) WILL NOT UNACCEPTABLY HARM THE AMENITIES OF ANY

NEIGHBOURING PROPERTIES;


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(E) IS NEITHER OF A HAZARDOUS NATURE NOR

LIKELY TO CAUSE PROBLEMS OF POLLUTION, NOISE

..... OR FUMES.

Planning applications - Where it is proposed to incorporate

lighting in development sites, applicants are encouraged to

submit details of lighting schemes, including light scatter

diagrams, as part of the planning application in order to

demonstrate that the proposed scheme is appropriate in terms of

its purpose in its particular setting. In doing this it aims tominimise potential pollution from glare and spillage to

neighbouring properties, roads and countryside. It may be

necessary to condition a planning approval to allow the local

planning authority to monitor the development and enforce the

condition if necessary.

In the case of Listed Buildings, consent may be required for

external lighting. Advice should be sought from the Planning

Department prior to installation.

Lighting Out Crime - Prevention and Security

Safety - It is assumed that a generous use of artificial lighting,

whether it be street lighting or domestic security lighting, will

reduce the risk of crime. However, a study in West Sussex in

1992 showed that whilst lighting can reduce the fear of crime,

bright, poorly positioned, misdirected lights and security

lighting can assist would-be burglars to find easy access points

and can create deeply shadowed areas for concealment.


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The Department of the Environments Circular 5/94Planning

Out Crime states:

Those installing security lighting need to strike a balance

between their desire to increase the security of their

properties and the possible effect that unnecessarily

obtrusive and glaring light, due to badly installed or

designed lighting fixtures, may have on neighbours. Care

should be taken to ensure that the intensity and focus of

security lighting respects the amenity of others.

Further advice on planning out crime is available in the

Supplementary Planning Guidance entitled Crime Reduction in

Residential Areas. This can be obtained, free of charge, from

the Policy Unit, Planning and Development Department, South

Northamptonshire Council.

Floodlighting for sports pitches and courts

In South Northamptonshire, careful consideration will need

to be given to any proposals for the provision of floodlit

sports facilities in areas of special landscape value and also

where they immediately adjoin housing.

Improved facilities for the local community - The ever

increasing interest in sport has prompted many sports centres

and schools to install floodlighting to enable extra activities to

take place after dark. The inclusion of floodlights to upgradesports facilities enables a pitch or court to be used during the

winter evenings and provides an opportunity for the community

to utilise the facilities and in doing so, will be contributing

financially towards the maintenance costs.


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Design - It is recommended that operators should commission a

professionally produced design, including light scatter

diagrams, that will accurately predict the performance of the

scheme, both inside and outside the pitch area, before any

equipment is procured. This will avoid expensive mistakes and

also provide the planning officers with the necessary details

needed when considering the planning application.

Guidance - Northamptonshire County Council has produced a

guidance note on the provision of floodlit all-weather pitches

for secondary schools. This guidance states that:

It must be recognised that the taller the mast the greater

the scope for directing the light downwards, thereby

controlling light spillage. Although it is common for three

columns to be erected on each side, the actual number will

be dependent upon the type and standard of the sporting

activities proposed. A balance needs to be sought between

the night-time needs for floodlighting and the day-timeappearance of the columns themselves.

To avoid light spillage, the main beam angle of all lights

should not exceed 70 from the vertical. Light shields

should be fitted to avoid both upward glare and the direct

illumination of areas beyond a distance of 10 metres from

the pitch. The power of each lamp should normally be

limited to 1kw with internal louvres fitted and asymmetric

beams utilised that permit the front glazing of the unit to be

kept at or near parallel to the surface being lit.


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In circumstances where housing immediately adjoins a proposedfloodlit pitch it is unlikely the planning permission would be

granted. The degree of adverse effect for properties further

away will be a subjective judgement in each case, having

regard to the measures which can also be taken to mitigate

the impact of the development.

Planning applications for all sports related lighting schemes

submitted to the Council are determined in the light of this

guidance.

Time limits - Strong floodlighting used for sport pitches can

create a genuine disturbance to neighbours and therefore it is

generally accepted that floodlights should not be used between

the hours of 10.00 p.m. and 9.00 a.m. The County Council

state that the use of school pitches should be restricted to no

later than 9.30 p.m. in residential areas and 10.00 p.m.

elsewhere on Mondays to Saturdays, and 8.00 p.m. on Sundays

(all areas).

For further technical advice regarding sports floodlighting,

guidance can be obtained from the Sports Council and also the

Chartered Institute of BuildingServices Engineers (CIBSE). See theend of this guidance for useful contact addresses.

Advertisements

In order to draw attention to some advertisements, signs are

often illuminated either internally or externally. In these cases

care should be taken to ensure that they are not positioned

where they may affect the clarity of traffic signs or disturb

those living close by. Planning permission is not required for

certain categories of illuminated advertisements displayed on

business premises. The Town and Country Planning (Control

of Advertisement) Regulations 1992 states luminance values

and criteria for such proposals.


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In Conservation Areas, planning permission is required forilluminated advertisements and may not always be acceptable.

Advice should be sought from the Councils Development

Control Section prior to installation.

Guidance - South Northamptonshire Council has, in its Local

Plan, policies to guide the use of advertisements. The main

policies that relate to lighting are as follows:

POLICY AD9 - PLANNING PERMISSION WILL NOT

NORMALLY BE GRANTED FOR ILLUMINATED SIGNS

WHERE THEY COULD CAUSE CONFUSION WITH

TRAFFIC SIGNS OR INTERFERE WITH RESIDENTIAL

PRIVACY.

Careful consideration will need to be given to the location and

design of the light-fittings themselves, which can have a more

damaging visual effect on the local environment than the sign

they illuminate.

POLICY AD12 - PLANNING PERMISSION WILL

NORMALLY BE GRANTED FOR DISCRETE

EXTERNALLY ILLUMINATED SIGNS, ALTHOUGH THE

LEVEL OF SPOTLIGHTING OR FLOODLIGHTING WILL

BE A DETERMINING FACTOR.

Further information can be found in the supplementary

planning guidance entitled Advertisements. This can be

obtained, free of charge, from the Policy Unit, Planning and

Development Department, South Northamptonshire Council.


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A positive approach to the problem of excessive lighting

Effective illumination should be well directed and almost

invisible from a distance. The lighting scheme should not

exceed that which is required for the satisfactory

undertaking of the task involved.

Proper design and planning - It is possible to reduce many of

the negative effects of lighting through proper design and

planning, using lighting only where and when necessary, using

an appropriate strength of light and adjusting light fittings to

direct the light to where it is required. Illuminance should be

appropriate to the surroundings and character of the area as a

whole. Avoid over lighting and use shields, reflectors and

baffles to help reduce light spill to a minimum. Use

specifically designed equipment that once installed minimises

the spread of light above the horizontal.

Direction of light - Direct light downwards wherever possible to illuminate

its target, not upwards. Many floodlit buildings are lit from the

ground with the beams pointing into the sky. This often leads

to columns of stray light pointing up into the sky creating vast

amounts of light pollution and wasting energy. Provide lighting

that does not glare on approach and which places light onto the

ground and not into the sky where it is wasted. In other cases,

simply lowering the angle of the beam will stop light from

overshooting the building into the sky.


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To keep glare to a minimum, ensure that the main beam of all

lights directed towards any potential observer is kept below

70. It should be noted that the higher the mounting height, the

lower the main beam angle can be. In places with low ambient

light, glare can be very obtrusive and extra care should be taken

in positioning and aiming. Wherever possible use floodlights

with asymmetric beams that permit the front glazing to be kept

at or near parallel to the surface being lit.

Amount of light - Rural lighting should be kept to a minimumnecessary for safety. Highway authorities should be

encouraged to apply this principle when building new roads or

bypasses in the open countryside or upgrading existing

installations with the use of low energy, light efficient fittings.

Care should be taken where and when they are lit.

70 degreesless than 70 degrees


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Sensor switches - For domestic and small scale securitylighting there are two options. The use of Passive Infra Red

Sensors (PIR) or all-night lighting at low brightness. If

correctly aligned and installed, a PIR Sensor that switches on

lighting when an intruder is detected, often acts as a greater

deterrent than permanently floodlit areas, which also allow the

potential intruder to look for weaknesses in security i.e. open

windows etc.

Types of lamps - Low pressure sodium (LPS) street lamps

which scatter their orange light all around, including skywards,

are a common sight along many streets and in residential areas.

An increasingly popular alternative, however, is the full cut-off,

high pressure sodium (HPS) lamp, although these are more

expensive to install. Full cut-off lamps prevent any light from

being emitted above the horizontal and the HPS creates a bright

pinkish white light which is carefully directed to avoid light

trespass. In a recent survey, 85% of drivers stated that they

prefer the light from HPS lamps. HPS lamps are the preference

for lighting sports pitches for the same reasons.

Wasted energy - Switch off lights when not required for safety

or security. Much energy is consumed and vast amounts of

greenhouse gases are produced due to the wastefulness of all

night shop advertising and display lighting, building

illumination, upward floodlighting and permanent domestic and

industrial security lights.


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Alternative lighting schemes - Local light schemes are animaginative alternative to the installation of conventional

roadway and footway lighting in rural areas. Where there is an

accepted need for village lighting, occupiers in houses facing

streets are encouraged to mount low-level lights on their own

property. The costs of light fittings, bulbs and installation

could either be met by the local parish council or perhaps grants

could be given to occupiers to purchase and install their own

lighting. The costs to the Parish Council could be offset against

those which would have been incurred if a traditional public

lighting system had been installed and maintained. Grants are

available from the Councils Heritage Unit for certain types of

environmental enhancement schemes. Streetlighting can be

included in these schemes.

By correctly fitting energy-efficient lights of an appropriate

strength, for example, above a front door, footways can be lit

with minimal glare and light trespass into neighbours

properties, and with far less visual intrusion than if public

lamps and columns were used. There would be less lightpollution, disturbance to neighbours and an overall saving in

energy.

In addition to the other policies referred to in this guidance, the

following policy will be used in determining planning

applications where lighting is considered to be an important

issue:

WHERE PLANNING PERMISSION IS REQUIRED FOR AN

EXTERNAL LIGHTING SCHEME OR WHERE EXTERNALLIGHTING IS REQUIRED AS PART OF A DEVELOPMENT

PROPOSAL, PLANNING APPLICATIONS WILL

NORMALLY ONLY BE FAVOURABLY CONSIDERED

WHERE:


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(I) THE LIGHTING SCHEME SHOULD NOT EXCEEDTHAT WHICH IS REQUIRED FOR THE

SATISFACTORY UNDERTAKING OF THE TASK

INVOLVED;

AND (II) GLARE AND SPILLAGE IS MINIMISED THROUGH

GOOD DESIGN, PARTICULARLY IN AREAS OF

OPEN COUNTRYSIDE, ON THE EDGE OF

SETTLEMENTS, ADJACENT TO HIGHWAYS OR

IN OTHER ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE

SETTINGS;

AND (III) ILLUMINANCE IS APPROPRIATE TO THE

SURROUNDINGS AND CHARACTER OF THE

AREA AS A WHOLE;

AND (IV) THE LIGHTING IS POSITIONED TO MINIMISE THE

IMPACT ON THE SURROUNDINGS;

AND (IV) THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE IMPACT ONTHE LOCAL COMMUNITY OR ENVIRONMENT

The way forward

In future, great care should be taken to protect our countryside

and night skies and to preserve our finite resources. Light

pollution should be minimised by good design and the use of

the correct equipment for the task. South Northamptonshire

Council will encourage good practice through this guidance

and, if necessary, by imposing conditions on planningpermissions.


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Careful consideration must be given to all floodlightingproposals in the countryside and within and on the periphery of

towns. All schemes should demonstrate that the scale of the

proposal and the level of lighting will not have a significant

adverse environmental impact.

Individuals can make an immediate difference by checking

existing lighting, repositioning domestic security lighting and

perhaps reducing the wattage of the bulb. Remember to switch

off lights when they are not required. By acting on this simple

advice, we can all help to reduce the nuisance and unnecessary

effects of light pollution and aim to minimise wasted energy.

Useful contacts

The Institute of Lighting Engineers

Lennox House

9 Lawford Road

Rugby

Warwickshire CV21 2DZTel: 01788 576492

The Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers

Delta house

222 Balham High Road

London

SW12 9BS

Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE)

Warwick House25 Buckingham Palace Road

London SW1W 0PP

Tel: 0171 976 6433


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Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS)British Astronomical Association

Burlington House

Piccadilly

London W1V 9A

Tel: 0171 734 4145

Lighting Industry Federation

Swan House

207 Balham High Road

London SW17 7BQ

Tel: 0171 675 5432

English Sports Council - East Midlands

Grove House

Bridgford Road

West Bridgford

Nottingham NG2 6AP

0115 982 1887

Crime Prevention Co-Ordinator

Northamptonshire Police Headquarters

Wootton Hall

Northampton

NN4 0JQ

01604 703546


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Sources of advice

Guidance Note on Light Pollution 1994 - Institute of Lighting Engineers

Starry Starry Night- BAA/CPRE Leaflet March 1994

Factfile 2 - Floodlighting for Sport 1993 - Sports Council

LG4 Sport- Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE)

Guidance Note on the Provision of Floodlit All-Weather Pitched at

Secondary Schools - Northamptonshire County Council - January 1996

Domestic and Commercial Security Lights and the Night-Time

Environment 1993 - British Astronomical Association

Lighten Our Darkness; lighting our cities - successes, failures and

opportunities 1994 - The Royal Fine Art Commission

Road Lighting and the Environment 1993 - Department of Transport

Documents

Snc Doc SPG - Light Pollution