Street lighting to be reduced in Wiltshire

Wiltshire Council has shaped a new scheme which will see street lights turned off to save energy and money. 

The cabinet announced that the scheme which will be affecting selected would save the council around £380,000. 

In February 2012, Wiltshire Council asked for feedback from the public on where savings could be made for the 2012/13 budget and reduced street lighting came out on top out of seven options to choose from. 

Dick Tonge, cabinet member for highways said: "The consultation showed that most people were concerned about light pollution and thought there was too much street lighting."

Street lights will be dimmed and switched off during less busy times of the day and night to combat light pollution and create a saving on electricity. 

The new scheme will introduce: 

•    Part night lighting where half of the street lights will be turned off between midnight and 5:30am.

•    Dimmed lighting in less busy hours.

•    Installation of LED lighting which are energy efficient.

•    Switched off street lighting where there are no significant pedestrian movement or safety concerns.

A Street Lighting Management system will also be introduced to create a more responsive and flexible control over street lighting. 

"We have more than 40,000 street lights and most of these are on all night whether they're needed or not. The feedback from the consultation has really helped us put forward a scheme that will save electricity and will be acceptable to residents," Dick Tonge added.

Street lighting across Wiltshire have already been used for part-night lighting.