1.  INTRODUCTION

  1.1  I am the Vice-Chairman of the Hampshire Astronomical Group and had led the campaign for better lighting in the county of Hampshire for the last 13 years. I lead the Hampshire Astronomical Group's activities at curbing the worst excesses of poor quality lighting and encouraging good quality lighting policies and designs.

  1.2  I am also a committee member of the British Astronomical Association's Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS) and have been so since the formation of the CfDS in 1990. I was the CfDS's Newsletter Editor for its first nine years and built a reputable national and international circulation. I have attended both national and international conferences and lectures on "lighting and astronomy" in the capacity of organiser, presenter and as a delegate

  1.3  The Hampshire Astronomical Group has one of the best equipped amateur observatories in the south of England boasting four observatories which house telescopes including a 0.6m, 0.41m and a 0.3m reflector, all computer controlled, replete with the latest imaging technology through to a historic 0.13m Cooke refracting telescope which is an ideal instrument for teaching and public viewing. The observatory also has numerous additional portable instruments and a support building and engineering workshop facilities.

  1.4  The observatory facility is utilised by University of Portsmouth's Mathematics and Astronomy undergraduate students and many use the observatory for their final year observational project work. The members of the Hampshire Astronomical Group use the facilities for observations which have been used to contribute to data bases which are then used by the `professional' scientific community for further research. More recently the observatory facilities have been used for confirmation observations of discoveries of exploding stars in distant galaxies.

  1.5  The observatory stands atop a 150m (619ft) hill in the South Downs some 16km north of the City of Portsmouth. This is the third observatory site the Group has moved to in the Group's 43 year existence, the latest move during the mid 1970s was ostensibly due to the encroaching problem of light pollution from its then nearby town of Fareham. The Hampshire Astronomical Group is now acutely aware that we cannot move away from further urban lighting, so curbing the lighting was the only option left open to the Hampshire Astronomical Group in its attempt at maintaining the observational, scientific and educational viability of the facility.

2.  WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT OF LIGHT POLLUTION ON UK ASTRONOMY?

  2.1  Professional astronomy, in the visible part of the spectrum, has all but moved off the UK mainland and sited its multi-million pound operations from sites such as the Canaries and Hawaii. Light pollution is one of the factors which sealed the fate of UK mainland based visual astronomy. However, many university and amateur astronomy facilities do not have the resources to undertake astronomy outside of the UK, and arguably it is inappropriate for those institutions to do so, therefore it is often the university and amateur facilities which are effected most by the problems of light pollution.

  2.2  Amateur astronomy is acknowledged as being one of the few sciences in which the amateur still has a significant role to play in scientific research into the subject. This can be part of adding to current data bases or individual search routines where discoveries can be made. Light pollution threatens these endeavours.

  2.3  Many amateur facilities are open to the general public (as are the Hampshire Astronomical Group's) either on a regular basis or for specified limited events. In our experience, many members of the public are clearly ignorant of the sky above them, as from towns and cities in the UK much of the night sky is blighted by the ubiquitous orange sky glow which masks the starry night.

  2.3  Many school children have to study astronomy as part of the national curriculum, most cannot see the night sky for real in all its glory and beauty and see what their teachers have explained in the classroom. Astronomy has often been described as the spark that sets many people into seeking a career in science. With the demise of the visibility of the night sky for most people in the UK we as a society will be the poorer for it.

  2.4  A survey of amateur astronomers conducted in 1991, instigated by the CfDS, showed that in excess of 90% of respondents were effected by sky glow. It is not known if this could be extrapolated to the population of the UK. However, the CfDS commissioned a poster depicting the UK at night by the Remote Sensing Center at Farnborough and it is easy to see the major population areas in the UK by the amount of light spill from the towns and cities in the UK. This additionally indicates a significant waste of resources in energy usage.

  2.5  We have seen in recent years the use of the night sky as an almost blank canvas for advertisers with the use of sky-beams or space-flowers. The use of the sky in this way to advertise a facility or event is disastrous for astronomy with shafts of light sweeping through the night sky obliterating the stars and faint nebulae. Fortunately their use has been partly regulated under planning law (see Guildford Council vs Harpers Night Club Ref: APP/Y3165/H/98/0848/P4) and HM Planning Inspector stated at the time that such beams were "unwelcome intrusions".

3.  ARE CURRENT PLANNING GUIDELINES STRONG ENOUGH TO PROTECT AGAINST LIGHT POLLUTION?

  3.1  It is generally accepted within the astronomical community and those non-astronomers who contact the astronomical lobby for assistance in dealing with problematic lighting, that the planning guidelines are not strong enough.

  3.2  I have been contacted by many distraught members of the public whose lives have been blighted by the insensitive use by neighbours—both commercial/industrial and residential, of poorly aimed or designed lighting. Unfortunately, unless such lighting can be demonstrated to be a hazard to road users, aircraft or on navigable waterways there is no legal redress.

  3.3  In a survey of Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) in the 1990's, a massive increase in complaints regarding lighting were recorded by EHOs. Unfortunately, the Environment Health Departments had no powers of redress as light cannot be regarded as a "nuisance".

  3.4  Light, like noise (sound) is essential to our lives, however, too much light, like too much noise, is detrimental and as such, we believe Local Authorities with the backing of legal redress, should be available to manage such problems of excessive lighting. We are acutely aware that some commercial operations such as ports require by law a certain level of illumination.

  3.5  The Hampshire Astronomical Group worked closely with the Continental Ferry Port in Portsmouth in reducing light spill from their floodlights. An excellent solution was found with shielding floodlights from light spill into adjacent properties and the night sky, as such the Ferry Port managers were presented with a Good Lighting Award, signed by Sir Patrick Moore, to acknowledge the ability of both astronomy and commercial operations to co-exist in respect to lighting. Unfortunately we are not always so successful is persuading all "light polluters".

  3.6  It is our experience that within the planning process the daytime visual impact of a design of a lighting scheme is often the subject of the planning decision rather than the night-time impact of the illumination. It would be our opinion, that both aspects should be considered with equal weight when such schemes are considered within the planning process.

  3.7  Light travels far: a planned scheme with lighting in one area, town, district or county can easily be viewed from another. As such the visual amenity, be that the night sky or night-scene of other areas can be, and often are, significantly and detrimentally effected. An example are golf driving ranges and sports facilities, which are visible for many kilometres. This impact is often never the subject of the planning decision. Because each council planing departments view the issue of lighting differently, one area with good approach to lighting (eg wish to see the right amount of lighting in the right place during the right time) could be seriously effected by the decision in a neighbouring council which pays little or no regard to the problem of light-trespass.

  3.8  The Hampshire Astronomical Group would argue that good quality lighting per se, means that the night sky is similarly preserved.

4.  ARE PLANNING GUIDELINES BEING APPLIED AND ENFORCED EFFECTIVELY?

  4.1  Many local authorities have lighting clauses in their local plans. Locally the Hampshire Astronomical Group has a good relationship with one of our local authorities, and we are often made aware of lighting schemes for comment, that are brought before the local planners. This is not so with other local authorities. The good relationship we have with our local authority has been brought about after a decade of contact and constant communication.

  4.2  We believe it should not be the preserve of astronomers to monitor such lighting schemes when brought before planning departments, this should, we believe, be integral within planning regulation and enforcement. We have had experience of planning permission being granted for lighting schemes, the lighting impact of which had not been assessed, and the consequence was distress for local people and significant impact on the night-sky with very little or as often the case, no redress.

  4.3  We understand that to assess the likely impact of lighting schemes some expertise on light and lighting is required. We offer to the local planning department by way of our comment in public consultation, such expertise, which of course the local planners can accept or reject, we believe more robust guidelines are required to enable the application and enforcement with the planning process.

5.  IS LIGHT MEASURABLE IN SUCH A WAY TO MAKE LEGALLY ENFORCEABLE, REGULATORY CONTROLS FEASIBLE?

  5.1  Light is measurable as every photographer is aware. Luxmeters can be used to measure the amount of lumination from a light source. Many lighting engineers use computer modeling to determine the amount of light a scheme will place either on the ground or on a building in the design stage.

  5.2  Since the amount of light pollution (sky-glow) seen in the night sky is very dependent on aerosols in the atmosphere from either water vapour, dust particles or other pollutants, measuring the brightness of the night sky (which is perfectly feasible) would not be a good measure of effectiveness of controls on light pollution. Some light will always be visible in the night-sky through light reflectance from the ground.

  5.3  The Hampshire Astronomical Group believes that the aspect of regulation and control need not be over-technical. Simple guidelines such as "Light should not be emitted above the horizontal except in exceptional circumstances" and limits to the amount of light (in lux) spilt outside of the curtilage of the property to which the scheme belongs, should be sufficient. One can see with the unaided eye whether light is spilt onto adjacent property, this is known as light trespass.

  5.4  One should also consider the problem of when considering enforcement and regulation. Disability glare is experienced when one is subject to viewing the light source itself—most noticeable when driving where cars travelling in the opposite direction have their lights on full beam.

  5.5  It is the experience of the Hampshire Astronomical Group that disability and discomfort glare (sight of the actual intense light source—the bulb or discharge tube) aspects of light pollution and trespass which create most complaints by non-astronomers and for which we are frequently asked to assist. Limiting the light output to the illumination of the land contained within the property only, and not outside the curtilage, would stop this problem at a stroke. It would also stop light pollution of the night sky from direct illumination.

6.  ARE FURTHER CONTROLS ON THE DESIGN OF LIGHTING NECESSARY?

  6.1  The Hampshire Astronomical Group believes that further controls are necessary.

  6.2  Many poor lighting schemes are in existence simply because of the poor light control of some light fittings (luminaires). If rigorous guidelines were in operation this would encourage the design and manufacture of better quality luminaires in order to meet the regulatory requirements. We are fortunate to have a vibrant lighting industry that is well able to rise to these technical challenges, it is the belief of the Hampshire Astronomical Group that such proposed regulations would continue to favourably place the lighting industry as a world leader in design and manufacture.

  6.3  The light output of a number of floodlights is considered, both with the astronomical community and the lighting industry, to be too high. The Institution of Lighting Engineers (ILE) recommends a maximum of 150W much less than the 300-500W lights, pejoratively described as "rottweiler" lights. Such high levels of illumination create discomfort and disability glare, deep shadows and does not provide "security" for which they are, in our opinion, ill described.

  6.4  In previous correspondence with various Government departments regarding the matter of lighting controls we have always been confronted with the argument of "education not legislation". The Hampshire Astronomical Group is convinced that this approach is no longer tenable and would draw the committee's attention to issues that had similar life saving approaches of the use of crash helmets and use of seat belts. If ever there was an argument to change people's behaviour with simple education, these would be examples. Ultimately, Parliament had to resort to the use of legislation as the general population did not heed simple good advice which saved lives. "Education" alone is a wholly ineffective method of changing behaviour and we urge the Committee to look beyond such an approach.

7.  CONCLUSION

  7.1  The Hampshire Astronomical Group has welcomed this opportunity to set out before the Science and Technology Committee the issues regarding the vexatious problem of light pollution and its deleterious effects on astronomy.

  7.2  It is the opinion of the Hampshire Astronomical Group that there is now an opportunity to adopt robust controls on the worst excesses of light pollution and trespass.

  7.3  If the UK Government drafted some regulatory control within a legal framework it would not be the first to adopt such measures. Many regions and national governments around the world are now adopting such laws or have done so. The Czech Republic has enacted a national law restricting wasteful lighting protecting the night sky, other regions around Europe have similar regulations. The USA was one of the first countries in the world to see local ordinances (by-laws) restricting wasteful upward light.

  7.4  Whilst your committee is restricting itself to the matter of light pollution and astronomy it should be acknowledged that there is growing scientific evidence that wasteful light also has a serious and deleterious effect on the migratory patterns of birds and can decimate local insect populations.

  7.5  The Hampshire Astronomical Group believes that this issue of light pollution or trespass needs to be seen in the wider environmental context, and that what is good practice for the preservation of the night-sky is also protecting the wider environment and using earth's precious resources wisely.

8.  RECOMMENDATIONS

  8.1  The Hampshire Astronomical Group would want to see Parliament investigate and then adopt similar legislation as to that which exists in other countries with the specific aim of protecting the environment from the problem of Light Pollution/Trespass.

  8.2  That legislation in the Czech Republic, Lombardy region of Italy and the Catalonian region of Spain be examined as a starting point in drafting such legislation.

  8.3  As a minimum, the Hampshire Astronomical Group would want to see a strengthening of planning law so that night-time effect of any illumination is a material consideration when determining planning applications that are proposing to install lights/lighting.

  8.4  The Hampshire Astronomical Group would want to see an amendment to the Control of Pollution Act regarding the issue of lighting, and have excessive lighting viewed alongside other potential nuisances.

  8.5  The principle of zero upward light spill (eg above the horizontal from the light source) and restricted lux levels on the ground outside of the curtilage to a prescribed distance, from a property utilising any illumination should be embodied within any proposed regulations.

April 2003