Safe and sensible street lighting

Kent County Council has been reviewing its street lighting services. Our present provision of lighting costs £5.8 million (rising to £6.4 million next year) and emits 29,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year. A significant part of what is provided would not be installed under current guidelines. 'Safe and sensible street lighting' is an initiative to rationalise street lighting provision to save costs and reduce carbon emissions while continuing to provide the service where and when it is truly needed.

The initiative will take two forms. Firstly, there will be a trial complete switch-off of lights in certain areas where it is judged safe to do this. In the case of Sevenoaks, this was discussed at our Joint Transportation Board in March. As the record shows, I asked for some proposed areas to be excluded from the switch-off, and this was agreed; nonetheless, some areas in Darent Valley, such as Main Road near Farningham and Goldsel Road approaching Crockenhill, are included.

Secondly, there will be a shift to 'part-night lighting' in many areas; lights will be switched off between midnight and 5:30am. This follows a consultation in the summer, in which 75% of respondents supported the proposals. Lights will be considered suitable for this unless they are in areas such as major traffic routes, sites of housing for vulnerable people, sites at risk of increased crime and the like. (The full list of criteria can be found in Kent County Council's press release).  This is being implemented in a rolling programme across Kent; in the case of Sevenoaks District, it will take effect in just over 10 days'  time, on 16 December.

Inevitably, there will be mixed feelings about these plans. Some communities favour being unlit, believing that it is part of their identity as rural villages and settlements. Other people are concerned at perceived increased risks of crime and traffic accidents. Kent Highways has made clear that safety remains its top priority, and that changes can and will be made if it becomes clear that the shutoff is having a damaging effect. Nonetheless, the overall direction of policy is clearly set, with the aim of delivering significant savings without compromising safety.