Local authorities have many differing considerations when it comes to planning street lighting.
These include respecting the environment and protecting our dark skies to maintaining well-lit streets that make the community feel safe yet also meet climate standards.
And whilst focusing on the 'numbers' to provide financially efficient lighting schemes is clearly important, the question is, are local authorities making the best use of technology to bridge the gaps and find the balance between these, at times, conflicting drivers?
Councils across the country have faced substantial financial challenges in the wake of years of significant funding cuts, with many forced to review budgets for local services, including streetlights, to save money. Street lighting accounts for a significant proportion of a local authority's overall electricity consumption, typically 30% (less if street lighting assets have been converted to LED), and outdoor public lighting is also a significant contributor to CO2 emissions.
However, as UK government policy drives towards Net Zero by 2050 and with many local authorities declaring climate emergencies, there is momentum for change. Some local authorities have made considerable savings on carbon emissions and energy bills by switching to LED lights or operating partial night-time switch-off regimes for lamps in their area. It is well understood that switching from traditional light sources, typically HID, to LED delivers energy savings of 60% or more and can also provide the benefit of reduced maintenance costs.
This focus on energy efficiency and minimising the environmental impact of street lighting is much needed, but is simply reducing the amount of lighting in our public spaces the best solution for everyone? The murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa have prompted a wave of concern about women's safety on the streets. 63% of women now say they feel less safe walking at night, a rise of 17% since 2018. These women are less likely to go out to dimly lit areas; in fact, they are 50% less likely, and this understandable reluctance is having a significant impact on the night-time retail and hospitality economies. But a recent report from the University of Sheffield revealed that where areas were well lit at night, there was a 36% reduction in all crime and a 38% reduction in rape crime. So, if streetlights are diminished, then so too is the feeling of women feeling safe while they walk.
We know lighting changes how people – particularly, but not solely, women - think about their environment and impacts their daily decisions, from walking routes to spending time in public spaces. As a result, people naturally gravitate towards good lighting and will spend more time in better lit places. Local authorities should therefore be focused on creating well-planned lighting schemes that can improve wayfinding and guide people along specific routes. When planned and implemented correctly, lighting can be an influential catalyst in regenerating public areas and, post-COVID, encouraging people back into our town and city centres without compromising their personal safety.
I've been working in the lighting industry for nearly 25 years, and I love that lighting is such a broad church, encompassing architecture, engineering, technology and artistic disciplines. I know that with the right design and technology, lighting can completely transform a space and how (or whether) people use and experience it. And writing from a female perspective, I know it can transform how I feel about a place and the decisions I make when travelling to or through a town centre. My advice to any local authority at the start of a lighting redesign journey would be:
- Don't just see this as a tick box compliance exercise focused on the financials; take a risk-based approach by taking time to truly understand the space and the people using it. Then, ask yourself the question, does this need to change?
- Tap into alternative central government funding, e.g. the Safer Streets Fund, which is supported by the Safer Streets – Crime prevention toolkit
- Bring experts in lighting on board, who have a team of designers, architects, and installers to engage with your team
- Connect your community lighting to the environmental, social & governance (ESG) agenda
- Take a holistic approach to your redesign, bridging the gap between the financials and the true potential of the space.
By using the right lighting solution and working together to design, procure and implement it, local authorities can immediately impact operational and maintenance costs as well as improve public spaces, connect communities and contribute to the sustainability agenda.
Clare Thomas is head of applications and solutions at Urbis Schréder
