Community say in streetlight switch-off plan

Oxfordshire County Council is considering changes to street lighting

Communities could be given the option to have streetlights turned off in their neighbourhoods in the early hours of the morning.

Oxfordshire County Council's part-night lighting framework has been recommended for approval at the cabinet meeting on 21 October.

The local authority has been considering changes to street lighting as a way to save money and reduce carbon emissions.

If approved, then local communities can request to turn off streetlights between 23:30 BST and 05:30 in rural locations and from midnight to 05:30 in urban areas.

There would be also be further public consultation for each scheme.

The council's initial proposals were raised last November but were deferred so that safety concerns could be considered.

There would be a series of exemptions to make sure part-night lighting is not considered in places where it might compromise safety, such as major road junctions, slip roads, rail crossings, areas of traffic calming, waterside paths, remote alleyways, high crime areas, and locations supporting the night-time economy.

For these reasons, major urban areas such as Oxford are unlikely to be suitable to take part in the scheme and the lights would stay on all night.

Public safety

Councillor Liz Leffman, leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: "We have learned lessons from last year's proposals and are confident the updated policy and the way it would be implemented would not reduce public safety.

"Since November, we have been engaging with stakeholders and held a public consultation which have informed the updated policy and the proposed implementation framework.

"If approved, part-night lighting would only be implemented on a case-by -case basis and there would not be a one-size-fits-all approach.

"There are many places where it would not be suitable for safety reasons. However, it's also important to recognise that for some of our communities there would be positive benefits from this – reducing light pollution can help improve biodiversity and nature recovery."