Author: Alexander Hague

Residents to have their say on street light dimming.

Crosspool, Endcliffe, and Meersbrook have been selected for the trialled dimming of street lighting levels.

From Monday 19 August to Friday 13 September 2019, residents will see street lighting in these pilot areas of the city being reduced by up to an additional 14%.

Households in the chosen areas will each receive a letter inviting them to attend an information session in their local library. Residents across the city will also be invited to take part in an online consultation on the proposals.

The views of those in the pilot areas will then be assessed alongside the views from respondents across the city.

The proposals will see street lights switch on responsively at 80% instead of the current 84% before midnight and reduce from 54% to 40% at midnight until 5am, whilst still meeting the requirements of the current national Code of Practice.

South Yorkshire Police are aware of the proposal and the council will continue to work with them, and other stakeholders, to assess and evaluate the impact on communities.

Emergency services will still be able to request an increase in lighting levels, in response to certain incidents, when required.

Supporting the first priority of the 2018 Green City Strategy, Sheffield has one of the most advanced street lighting systems in the UK, with the ability to vary lighting levels – even down to individual lighting columns.

As a result of the Streets Ahead investment, Sheffield now has a complete network of state-of-the-art white LED street lights. In the first five years of the programme, more than 66,000 new LED street lights were installed across the city; ensuring safer and more energy-efficient light distribution.

A link to the briefing report and associated maps of the trial areas can be found at: https://bit.ly/2M0D6ZJ

The city-wide consultation will open in coming weeks and, once live, will be available on the council’s website at: https://sheffield.citizenspace.com/