Streetlights in Cornwall to be turned off overnight

Cornwall Council have revealed today (January 18) that some streetlights across the Duchy will be turned off when most residents are asleep between the hours of midnight and 5am.

However, streetlights in town centres where there is a strong night-time economy, areas where there is CCTV, and along main roads, will remain on or will be dimmed.

This is the next phase of an initiative to reduce carbon emissions, cut light pollution to help nature recover and encourage nocturnal wildlife, protect designated dark skies areas, and save money on energy costs.

Residents in these areas will see streetlights turned off between the hours of midnight and 5am (Image: Cornwall Council)Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for transport, Richard Williams-Pears said: “So far, 670 of the council’s streetlights have been dimmed or turned off. That number increases to 3,800 in this next phase.

“The feedback we’ve had during phase one centres on concerns around safety. Safety is at the forefront of any decision about switching off streetlights.

“Before we embarked on this initiative, we consulted with the Safer Cornwall Partnership who will be monitoring the situation carefully and feeding back any concerns.

“We won’t be compromising on safety as where risk assessments have shown that streetlights are still beneficial, they will be kept on, or will be dimmed once new LED bulbs are fitted.”

Mr Williams also mentioned that risk assessments will continue to be carried out, and data will be shared with local stakeholders. Any concerns and requests, including requests from parish and town councils for areas where they want to see streetlights off or turned back on again, will also be fully considered.

Streetlights will remain on, or be dimmed between midnight and 5am to reduce light pollution, in locations such as    

• Traffic signal junctions, pedestrian crossings, subways, some roundabouts, and junctions    
• Parts of town centres and footpaths which are still relatively busy during the night.   
• On certain roads where there is traffic calming and speed humps.   
• Areas where there is CCTV or police surveillance equipment.   

All Council-run streetlights in Cornwall are in the process of being replaced with energy-saving LEDs as part of a programme to cut carbon emissions, as well as reduce electricity consumption.

The new LED streetlights, which have a similar colour temperature to the previous lamps, will be remotely controlled and monitored. Using low-power technology, the streetlights can be adapted to the needs of local areas.