Street lights along non-residential roads in the Caerphilly county borough will be switched off overnight as part of a major drive to reduce the council’s carbon emissions.
At a meeting of Full Council last week (Tuesday 9th March), Councillors agreed to introduce a new policy after considering the findings of a consultation exercise to gauge residents’ views on the issue. Over 80,000 households were given the opportunity to have their say about the proposals as well as a range of organisations in the public and private sectors.
It was agreed that street lights will be turned off between 12 midnight and 5.30am on all main roads connecting towns and villages, including industrial areas. The move is anticipated to save in excess of 850 tonnes of carbon each year as well as significant savings in energy costs.
Cllr Rob Gough, CCBC cabinet member for transportation and planning, said, “We fully appreciate that this is a sensitive issue, but we have carefully considered all the issues and feel that this option will have the least impact on our residents. The roads affected will be in non residential areas at a time when traffic use is minimal – and as an extra safeguard we have agreed to carry out health and safety impact assessments on any routes that may be causing concern.”
Caerphilly county borough council is committed a 10 year Carbon Reduction Strategy which aims to reduce carbon emissions by 45% of 07/08 levels. Over 27% of the council’s carbon emissions come from street lighting so this is an area where making small changes can make a big difference.
“We have pledged to hit ambitious green targets and need to consider new ways of becoming cleaner and greener,” said Cllr Colin Mann, CCBC cabinet member for finance, resources and sustainability. “This decision clearly demonstrates our commitment to improving the environment and we are confident that this option will result in the least disruption to our local communities.”
Four options were put forward for consideration ranging from the one that was adopted (option1) to more radical proposals that proposed the switching off of all lights across the whole area.
Adjustments will now need to be made to the street lighting equipment before the changes come into effect.
