Issue - meetings

The Committee has requested an update on the consultation relating to Part Night Lighting.  It has invited Cllr Andrew Gant, Cabinet member for Transport Management, to present the report and has also invited Paul Fermer, Director of Environment, Highways & Transport, and Caroline Coyne, Project Manager, to attend and to answer the Committee’s questions.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

The Committee invited Cllr Liz Leffman, Leader of the Council, Cllr Andrew Gant, Cabinet member for Transport Management, to present the report and invited Paul Fermer, Director of Environment, Highways & Transport, and Caroline Coyne, Project Manager, to attend and to answer the Committee’s questions.

The Leader explained that the Council had introduced a street lighting and illumination policy in 2022, and, in November 2023, a framework was published by the then Cabinet member for Environment. The Leader noted that the way the framework was published had caused public concern, especially regarding safety when switching off lights at night, so the council decided not to proceed and instead sought further public engagement to understand both concerns and benefits, such as improved dark skies for biodiversity and nature recovery in some areas, and safety concerns in others. She highlighted consultation results, which showed support for part night lighting, and she emphasised that the proposal included exemptions for areas where it would not be suitable, to be considered at the next cabinet meeting.

The Cabinet Member for Transport Management described the process as a good example of the council listening to feedback and acting on it. He pointed out that about half of comparable councils had adopted similar policies and stressed that the Council’s approach required active support from the local county Councillor and other elected bodies for any area to be considered for part night lighting. He also noted that there was a list of exemptions, such as large urban areas like Oxford, which would not be eligible.

The Committee raised the following questions and comments:

·       Whether towns, such as Banbury and Witney, would be exempt from part night lighting, and what the basis was for deciding exemptions beyond Oxford. The Cabinet members, and officers, clarified that Oxford was given as an example, but that other large towns would also be unlikely to qualify due to the set exemptions, with eligibility determined on a case-by-case basis.

It was explained that the process would only proceed where both the community and local elected members supported it. County councillors could get involved by engaging with their communities, submitting requests to the street lighting team, and participating in scheme design and further consultation, following a process similar to the 20 mile an hour scheme. Final decisions would be made through the Cabinet member decision process.

·       How the process would work with parish councils and whether communities would be properly engaged to consider the impact of the part night lighting strategy, including support for groups such as shift workers. The Cabinet Member confirmed that, following lessons learned from previous projects, the Council would prompt parish and town councils to ensure they had consulted their residents and considered all relevant groups before making a request. The engagement team and street lighting officers would offer support, guidance, and prompts to help councils identify and address the needs of different user groups, ensuring a thorough and inclusive consultation process.

·       Whether the strategy considered not just switching off streetlights but  ...  view the full minutes text for item 49