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REQUIREMENT FOR A LIGHTING POLICY
LIGHTING POLICY
21. -To assist developers, architects, lighting designers and local authority staff in applying a consistent approach to the provision of lighting it is recommended that local authorities document their lighting policy. This policy can be a short statement embracing the principles of this Guidance Note or a more detailed document that in addition to embracing the principles of this Guidance Note provides further details about the Local Authority's Lighting Policy.
22. -Where a local authority already has a documented lighting policy the policy should be modified to make reference to this Guidance Note.
23. -The Lighting Policy or parts thereof should be referred to or included within relevant local authority public documents.
24. -Further guidance about the development of a lighting policy is detailed in the Institution of Lighting Engineers publication - TR24 "A practical guide to the development of a public lighting policy for Local Authorities" (1999), 5 the previously mentioned document published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 4 and the UK Roads Liaison Group document "Well-lit Highways". 6
EXAMPLE OF SHORT LIGHTING POLICY STATEMENT
25. -Where a local authority does not have a formal lighting policy then the following bullet points provide a basic lighting policy statement that can be readily applied.
- The lighting design shall comply with the lighting levels, uniformity and other parameters of current and relevant lighting standards and higher than recommended lighting levels should be avoided.
- In addition to selecting suitable lighting quality objectives that comply with current standards the lighting appearance shall be commensurate with the ambient luminance of the surrounding area. Four environmental zones are now internationally recognised, see Annex A Stage 7, and the design will require to show that control of overspill light is limited to the level required by the particular environmental setting. The local authority may be able to provide guidance on the selection of an applicable Environmental Zone necessary to comply with their night-time environmental strategy plan.
- The lighting design should follow the lighting design process described in this Guidance Note and the relevant information should be recorded and passed, where requested, to the local authority in accordance with their consent management process. The information recorded should be of a good standard to enable the lighting submission proposal to be evaluated. All lighting proposals should be submitted with a completed Lighting Design Check List as provided in Annex B.
- The proposed lighting equipment shall comply with current standards and to the greatest extent possible, the luminaries and their settings should be optically set to direct light only to where it is required and to minimise obtrusive effects and where necessary additional shielding should be considered.
- The installer of the proposed lighting shall comply with the approved design and no changes shall be permitted to this design unless the installer submits a revised lighting design submission proving that the change does not lessen the light quality objectives achieved by the original approved design. It is the responsibility of the developer to ensure that the lighting being installed in the development does not cause obtrusive light.
- To minimise obtrusive light a condition shall be attached to lighting consents that requires the developer to comply with this Guidance Note.
- The lighting design shall consider measures that ensure that the lighting installation is resistant to vandalism and can be readily maintained throughout its intended life.
- In architectural lighting situations the lighting infrastructure shall not detract from the day-time appearance of the structure and wherever possible shall be located so that as far as is practicable it is concealed from view.
- Lamps burning during daylight hours are a waste of energy and the public shall be provided with the necessary information on reporting such faults with Local Authority owned lighting.
- To minimise the spares holding of the Local Authority the designer may be required to select lighting equipment from a Local Authority approved range of lighting materials.
- Where possible, consideration should be given to switching off lighting when it is not required and the developer should prepare a Lighting Operational Statement as recommended within this Guidance Note.
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