Part-night lighting
About part night lighting (PNL)
Over 70% of the 129,000 council-owned streetlights are operating part night lighting, with certain exceptions that meet the key criteria outlined below. Part night street lights are switched off between 1am and 5am, Tuesday to Sunday (midnight until 5am on Monday mornings).
To see which lights we switch off, please view the map below which shows all street lights owned and operated by us and our illuminated signs / bollards.
Exception criteria
Certain locations meeting the exception criteria will continue to be lit through the night, such as:
- Sites where there are a large number of conflicting traffic movements (eg roundabouts) which are on significant routes (generally those lit by columns greater than 6m high)
- Sites where street lights are installed as a result of accident remedial measures
- Town Centre areas where there is one or more of the following features:
- Publicly maintained CCTV
- High proportion of high security premises (eg. banks, jewellers)
- Areas of high crime risk
- High concentration of people at night such as transport interchanges, nightclubs etc.
- Main approaches to town centre areas where there is a mix of development between residential and commercial/industrial (eg. not exclusively residential)
- Sites where the police can demonstrate that there is likely to be an increase in crime if the lights are switched off during part of the night (or that there will be a decrease in crime if the lights are switched back on)
- Remote footpaths and alleys linking residential streets
- Where there is a statutory requirement to provide lighting.
Lighting for road signs, traffic bollards etc., are not be affected.
Harlow
Agreement was reached between Harlow Council and Essex County Council to keep Harlow’s street lights on all night seven days a week from 25 October 2015. Read full announcement.
Epping
Street lights in parts of Epping operate part night lighting between 1am and 5am all week.
Street Lighting Map and Key
This map only displays the layer that shows our street lighting assets, it does not show street lights operated by others or private street lights. Our Highways Information Map includes more information and layers that may be of interest to you. You will need to accept the terms and conditions before using this map.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the question to reveal/hide the answer:
Why can’t you only switch off every other light? (1 in 2)
This has been considered but it will not enable the Council to meet its objectives of reducing energy consumption and light pollution. It would also mean lots of variations in the level of street lighting, which is not considered appropriate.
Why my street?
All Essex County Council owned street lights have now been programmed to part night operation unless covered by the exception criteria. Some street lights are owned by district councils or parish councils who are responsible for paying the costs of those lights and deciding whether or not part night lighting is appropriate.
What happens if there is an increase in crime/accident levels where part night lighting is in operation?
The experience to date is that there has been no increase in crime or accident levels which could be attributed to the introduction of part night lighting. Essex Police can ask for lights to be turned back on if they consider that there has been a significant increase in crime due to the introduction of part night lighting. Individual/public requests will not be considered. Crime statistics recorded during the trial showed no significant change due to the installation of part night lighting in the two districts. The number of offences occurring between 11.30pm and 5.30am actually dropped by 14% in Maldon and by 12.6% in Uttlesford. Since the pilot scheme began there has also been no increase in crime statistics or road collisions during the hours of switch off.
How much did part night lighting cost to implement?
The cost of the installation of a central management system for Essex County Council owned street lights in Essex was £6.5m. This includes the cost of hardware, software and individual photocells for over 127,000 street lights across Essex. It has taken 2 years to install across the County. The savings as a result of part night lighting are in excess of £1m a year. In addition to financial savings, this initiative has contributed to significant reduction in carbon emissions (over 8,000 tons per year) and many operational benefits, including instant failure alerts and a more responsive service.
What are the increasing energy costs?
It is anticipated that energy costs are going to rise over the coming years putting increased pressure on the Local Authority’s revenue budget. Estimates provided by our previous supplier of energy, showed average predicted year on year increase of 6% between 2010 and 2015. However energy prices have in recent history been highly unpredictable and have previously shown high levels of volatility.
What was the consultation process?
The move to part night lighting has not been taken lightly, and views have been sought from District, Borough and Parish Councils as well as the Emergency Services when determining which lights should be switched to part night lighting.
Why were residents not consulted?
Residents were not directly consulted by Essex County Council; however, news coverage over the past few years notified the public that the part night lighting scheme would be introduced across Essex. Where residents have fed back views, these have been considered and responded to.
Will part night lighting be reviewed?
There are no plans to review the principles of part night lighting in Essex. Once the implementation of part night lighting is completed and bedded in, a period of reflection on operational concerns will take place with decisions made at that point.
What about the fear of crime?
People may fear that they are at an increased risk of crime although there is no evidence that there is an increased risk. This is important because fear of crime can influence people’s behavior – for example by deterring them from going out after dark. People may also feel less safe at home.
Since 2006 the Council has undertaken regular surveys of public attitudes. The survey questions were originally prescribed by the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Council was required to carry out a postal survey of a balanced sample of residents (although each resident is randomly selected). One of the questions in the survey asks people if they feel safe in their own area outside after dark. Results of the study show that between 2006 and 2013 Uttlesford and Maldon districts both experienced a significant increase in people who say they feel safe after dark. Unfortunately, this survey was not conducted before 2006.
The results clearly show that the introduction of part night lighting has had no long term impact on fear of crime. Indeed the increase in the percentage of people feeling safe outside after dark has increased in Maldon and Uttlesford more than in other areas.
As previously explained above regarding public safety – consultation with the Emergency Services has been conducted and in addition, an Equality Impact Assessment has also been conducted in line with Essex County Council’s change processes, this considers the risks to protected groups.
What about crime?
An important consideration in the decision on implementation of part night lighting is the impact on crime. Under the Crime and Disorder Act the Council is under duty to exercise its various functions with due regard to the likely effect on crime and disorder in its area.
This is not a duty to reduce crime but a duty to take the need into account when making decisions.
The experience in the Districts of Maldon and Uttlesford provide evidence that the introduction of part night lighting has not had any impact on crime. In fact crime in both districts has fallen since 2005 (the year before part night lighting was introduced). If part night lighting was responsible for an increase in crime then one would expect to see overall crime trends to be higher in districts which introduced part night lighting.
Which other Counties have introduced part night lighting?
Part night lighting as a concept is not new; it has operated in West Sussex since the energy crisis of the 1970's. In recent times Suffolk, Hertfordshire, Nottinghamshire, Dorset, Bath and North East Somerset have introduced part night lighting.