10. Private Off-Highway Lighting
Off-highway lighting adjacent to lit or unlit sections of highway can be the cause of distraction/danger to the travelling public and detrimental to the night-time environment. This distraction/danger can be caused by glare from light fittings located in the vicinity of the highway and where the intensity of the emitted light is quite bright. It is also becoming environmentally unacceptable to pollute the night sky from such fittings, or cause light-trespass, and Local Planning Authorities are to be positively encouraged to reduce the impact on all occasions by being offered advice on such matters. Local Planning Authorities should also be positively encouraged to include a statement relating to light pollution and light-trespass in their Local Plans. The County Council shall provide advice on such off-highway lighting to assist the District/Borough Councils with the application of conditions to such planning applications. All sites should be carefully monitored at the planning application stage but especially:
Petrol filling stations.
Car park lighting - particularly out of town shopping/commercial developments where sphere style lights in particular should be rejected as a means of area illumination.
Industrial security lighting.
Lighting for sports stadia, playing fields and golf driving ranges.
Illuminated advertisements.
Local Planning Authorities should be asked to scrutinise all planning applications for exterior lighting and to take enforcement action where unapproved lights have been erected and are affecting the night environment.
In general the style of lighting to be used in almost all instances should be the "down lighter" type with a flat glass (ie no bowl) lantern mounted in the horizontal position to reduce the spill light to the surrounding areas. Illuminated advertisements should utilise the down light style of illumination. The Institution of Lighting Engineers' Technical Report No. 5 (2nd Edition), "Brightness of Illuminated Advertisements" is considered to have too high a level of illumination and the County Council will recommend lower levels of illumination on request.
As a general rule Local Planning Authorities are encouraged to ensure, as far as possible, their schemes, including private lighting, are designed to minimise light spill, night sky pollution and hours of operation as well as being required to be maintained throughout the life of the system.