Street care and cleaning New lighting and positioning
Can I have new or improved lighting?
We don't have a duty to provide street lighting, but do so in the interests of safety. Developers on new housing estates, for example, are now required to provide lighting on all new developments which are to be adopted, and thereafter maintained at public expense.
At present there's no available funding for new or improved lighting on existing highways, unless linked to a programmed traffic safety scheme. The criterion for carrying out such safety schemes involving lighting is based on traffic accident statistics. If the road has a good accident record, it will not normally qualify.
If you consider lighting in your areas should be provided or improved for safety reasons, you should make a request in writing. Your request should be directed to us but, depending on where you live, you may also wish to send a copy to the local town or parish council, with whom we consult. They will then inform us of any requests they wish to support.
It should be noted that town and parish councils also have powers to install street lights. However, we have to approve any lights installed on the highway.
Is it possible to have a street light repositioned?
The repositioning of lighting columns, while not impossible, is often difficult. The spacing between adjacent street lights is crucial for achieving the correct uniformity of lighting levels on the road. Moving one street light could result in the over lighting and under lighting of adjacent road surfaces, which would compromise safety. Each request is individually assessed and, where necessary, consulted on, with no guarantee of a favourable outcome.
It should be noted that the cost of moving a street light will fall on the person requesting the work.
A light is shining onto my house
Street lighting is installed for the benefit of society and is designed to light the surrounds to a road, as well as the road itself. In this way road users are assisted in seeing potential hazards, such as children.
It's not possible to eliminate light intrusion fully, as doing so would probably render the street light non-functional. If a street light is badly positioned, causing excessive intrusion of light, we will investigate and try to find an acceptable solution to the problem
I have lived on this new development for some time now. Why are the street lights not yet working?
Developers normally enter into an agreement with us to construct new roads to a standard suitable for future adoption.
Street lights are normally erected and commissioned in stages, as the estate is built. However, in some cases, houses may become occupied before the street lights are connected. Until such time as the new development has been adopted by us, ownership and responsibility for maintenance remains with the developer.
Prior to adoption of the new highway, the lights will be comprehensively inspected, and once found to be satisfactory, ownership and responsibility for maintenance will be transferred to us.