Policy and strategy document

Street lighting and illuminated assets policy

This policy applies to the maintenance of Oxfordshire County Council’s highways streetlighting and illuminated assets.

  1. Oxfordshire County Council, as the Highway Authority, is responsible for the provision and maintenance of Street Lighting and Illuminated assets on the road network throughout Oxfordshire excluding motorways and trunk roads.
  2. Under the Highway Act 1980, the Council has the power but not the duty to provide street lighting.
  3. The term “street lighting” encompasses all mains powered illuminated assets on the adopted highway including streetlights, illuminated signs, bollards, and other street furniture that requires an electrical supply. Where it is difficult to access an electricity mains service or alternative sustainable power sources, should be considered as an alternative based on whole life costings.
  4. This policy encompasses Oxfordshire County Council’s corporate vision, objectives and embraces the nine priority themes of the council. The policy is also informed by the Local Transport Connectivity Plan, the Highway Asset Management Plan, the Energy Strategy, and the Carbon Management Plan.

Policy: SLP1

Oxfordshire County Council will reduce the council’s impact on climate change and the environment, as our Procedure for Electrical Highway Assets and Oxfordshire County Council’s Energy Strategy and Carbon Management Plan though the use of optimised lighting systems.

Climate action | Oxfordshire County Council

Policy: SLP2

Oxfordshire County Council will consider and assess the provision of adequate and appropriate levels of lighting to ensure safe passage to all users of the highway network. This will include dimming of equipment during low traffic periods or implementing part-night lighting schemes and enable the reduction in running hours due to the instant switch on of LED equipment. Dynamic (real-time demand/usage) control of the lighting can also be implemented and retrofitted if required. We will review and, where appropriate, de-illuminate or provide off-grid solutions for signage where possible and practical.

Policy: SLP3

The policy considers the impact of light pollution on nature in assessing where lighting should be added or reduced across the transport network or where part-night lighting scheme are being considered. When new lighting is deemed to be necessary on grounds of public safety, dimming and reduction in burning hours should be used to preserve the night sky and mitigate environmental impacts.

Policy: SLP4

Oxfordshire County Council will engage with local environmental groups, local members stakeholders, and other organisations when appropriate when considering any changes to the deployment of street lighting to ensure that any impact is understood and mitigated plus incorporated/considered within the design and specification of the equipment.

Policy: SLP5

Oxfordshire County Council will ensure the safety of all highway users is maintained by taking a risk-based approach to the provision of street lighting and electrical assets, as per our Procedure for Illuminated Assets and the Highway Safety Inspection Policy. The County Council will regularly review and enhance these documents.

  1. Oxfordshire County Council has embraced the need to reduce the energy consumption of the street lighting assets located within the county and has undertaken a programme to update all streetlights to LED (Light-Emitting Diode) light sources. We will continue to look for opportunities to reduce the energy consumption and carbon emissions from street lighting. This also includes the de-illumination of bollards and signs The County Council will constantly review new and emerging technologies to ensure that the most technically and economically advantageous systems of lighting are used.

Policy: SLP6

Oxfordshire County Council will use a risk based and evidence approach, based upon data projections and environmental consideration, supported by national guidance (links below) when advising on the provision of streetlights for major developments. The council only consider adopting lighting when a clear safety need has been identified for which, lighting will be a part of the mitigation.

  1. For new developments, it is only when a clear safety need has been identified that lighting will be a part of the mitigation measures. Any installations going in not meeting the expectations of the council will not be adopted for public maintenance.
  2. Oxfordshire County Council provides and/or maintains electrical assets only where necessary and where a need has been clearly identified which demonstrates that lighting is required. Examples of such locations and needs may include, but are not limited to:
  • on major road junctions and at roundabouts as part of a suite of potential road safety measures to reduce the risk of night-time road safety incidents.
  • in partnership schemes with town, parish, district councils and the Police in areas where there is a perception of crime such that it is deemed necessary and where funding for the installation and ongoing maintenance is available.
  • In residential areas where roads and footpaths are adopted by the county council and only where a key safety need has been identified by the Police and OCC’s road safety teams that the provision of lighting will address that requirement.
  • New lighting will only be provided in unlit highway areas only if it is deemed necessary for road safety and has been the subject of an appropriate consultation or a road safety audit evaluation.
  • Locations referred to within the part-night lighting exemptions list for part-night lighting schemes.
  1. Oxfordshire County Council does not provide and/or maintain street lighting electrical assets:
  • In private areas such as residents’ garages, public car parks, or roads that have not yet been, or are not going to be, adopted as highway maintainable at the public expense.
  • If a parish council has decided to continue maintaining their own lights or has a policy of no street lighting (unless required on safety grounds).
  • Associated with new lighting on definitive footpaths, footpaths with permitted rights, bridleways, and towpaths.

Policy: SLP7

The County Council will seek to explore an integrated dynamic lighting solution to encourage and enable active travel across the county.

  1. The County Council will review the LED equipment including dynamic/adaptive lighting systems to ensure that it is the most suitable for each of the different environment types found within the County.
  2. Where requested by Parish Councils, and following local consultation, lighting can be converted to operate for part of the night as an alternative to dimming for residential areas, following the part-night lighting implementation framework.
  3. Where street lighting is no longer providing a benefit to users and following a risk assessment of the location, based upon road safety and crime, consultation for the removal of redundant assets will be undertaken with stakeholders. In relation with the Neighbourhood planning Guide. These stakeholders will include but are not limited to, Local Members, City, Town and Parish Councils, community groups and the Police.
  4. Landscape and trees are designed at the pre-application stage of a planning application. Every effort will be made to avoid the street lighting columns. This is where the trees be placed in a location to reduce the blocking effect of the tree canopy and reduce future tree pruning and landscaping costs. Therefore, ensuing the maintenance budgets are sustainable.

Policy: SLP8

Oxfordshire County Council will respect the wishes of a parish council not to provide street lighting in its village locations unless lighting is warranted on safety grounds, and there are no cost-effective alternatives. However, it should be noted that there are a few District/Parish Councils which are their own lighting authorities who have specific requirements in their local areas/neighbourhood.

  1. Illuminated signs will be removed or de-illuminated, where permitted by the Department for Transport’s Traffic Sign Regulations.
  2. Where appropriate, signage that cannot be removed or de-illuminated will be considered, following risk assessment for alternative solutions, such as solar power or other off-grid options.

Policy: SLP9

Low-level lighting for the purpose of way finding will be considered for promoted active travel routes in rural areas, in line with OCC active travel scheme requirements and active travel funding availability for ongoing maintenance.

Policy: SLP10

Oxfordshire County Council will reduce street clutter wherever possible by the removal of unnecessary and redundant street lighting electrical assets and lighting support structures. In accordance with the traffic signs policy.

Policy: SLP11

Oxfordshire County Council will work with parishes and town council who apply for Part-Night Lighting schemes within their areas, using the Part-Night Lighting Implementation Framework as detailed within the Street Lighting and Illuminated Assets Procedure Annex C. 

Each scheme will be reviewed alongside the exemption criteria and consulted with local residents and high-impact stakeholder groups prior to submission for Cabinet Member Decision.
 

  1. Part-night lighting schemes will only be considered if the application meets the part-night lighting suitability and exemption requirements, and there is support for the scheme from the Parish area’s OCC Councillor.
  2. If there are concerns raised by Thames Valley Police following a Part-Night Lighting scheme implementation, the scheme will be reviewed and if required, will return to night lighting.
  3. This policy will not affect or change existing part-night lighting schemes or be used to justify the provision of new lighting schemes where there is currently no street lighting in place.

Service aims:

  1. Reduce Oxfordshire County Council’s energy costs and carbon footprint.
  2. Reduce light pollution and the impact on the environment.
  3. Reduce the number of electrical assets to reduce street clutter.
  4. Reuse and recycle redundant equipment where feasible.
  5. Increase the service life of the assets.
  6. Adhere to the service standards detailed within the Highway Safety Inspection Policy and the Procedure for Highway Electrical Asset with regards to Inspection and maintenance.
  7. Development of maintenance regimes to support alternatives to street lighting illumination.
  8. Engage with stakeholder groups as part of the wider conversations in street lighting policy development.
  9. Embrace the County Council’s 9 Priority Themes.

Reference & Supporting Documents

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    Oxfordshire County Council

    County Hall, New Road, Oxford, OX1 1ND