1.  CABE is a non-departmental public body, jointly funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). We are the nation's champion for better places: places which work better, feel better, are better. CABE's interest in the issue of lighting in our towns and cities arises from a number of areas of our work. Through our Design Review programme, which offers free advice on the design of selected projects, and our Enabling programme, which provides support and advice to clients during the early stages of projects, we have offered advice on a large variety of development schemes, some of which include lighting as an important feature. CABE has conducted research into improving the quality of our streets, and this resulted in the publication last year of our document "Paving the Way". A number of the issues discussed in it are relevant to the lighting of streets and buildings. In addition, our predecessor organisation, the Royal Fine Art Commission (RFAC), published a report on this issue called "Lighten Our Darkness", and many of the conclusions included in that document continue to be relevant.

  2.  CABE believes that there is a clear need for more thought to be given to the lighting of our towns and cities, and for local authorities in particular to give greater guidance on good practice. We support the lighting up of selected buildings, engineering structures and public spaces and believe that this can add to public enjoyment of our towns and cities. However, this needs to be done with care and with the joint aim—entirely achievable in our view—of enhancing the appreciation of those features which are lit, while minimising the contribution that the lighting makes to the problem of light pollution.

  3.  At the moment most of our towns and cities are visually disappointing, or, at worst, visually disastrous at night. In some places the lack of lighting is a problem, in others underlighting, overlighting or the use of inappropriate colours and forms of lighting create poor environments. Lighting fixtures which are badly designed and haphazardly controlled are a problem both aesthetically, and in terms of contributing to light pollution. We recognise that a serious consequence of the poor nature of much of our lighting is that urban light is blotting out the night sky. It is a cause for serious regret that sky glow now means that it is virtually impossible to see the stars in many towns and cities.

  4.  A common source of light spill is street lighting and in this regard we believe that safety and security should not be achieved at the expense of other visual considerations. Light spill can obscure the details and form of adjacent facades, as well as contributing to light pollution. We would urge the use of shields which restrain light from trespassing. On aesthetic grounds, we would also support consideration of light sources other than low-pressure sodium, which has a distinct and unappealing orange colour.

  5.  In order to tackle the problems associated with much of our street lighting, we believe that there needs to be a greater understanding of the relevance of urban design to highways issues. Currently there is a lack of clarity about what is guidance and what is mandatory regarding the design of highways and their immediate environment. In this respect, we think a summary detailing the statutes, regulations and design guidance affecting streetscape design and management should be produced. This should include guidance on suitable design standards which are appropriate to their environment; some of the problems with street lighting arise from the fact that standard highways solutions are applied in settings where they are inappropriate, for example the application of trunk road lighting standards to minor residential streets. We would like to see existing guidance on highway design rewritten to bring it in line with Government policy on design, sustainability and the urban realm, and we think that urban design should form a key component of all training courses for professionals dealing with streetscape and highways.

  6.  With regard to the lighting of buildings and other structures, not all lighting which is poor aesthetically also contributes to light pollution of the sky, but the two are inextricably linked in many cases. For example, the excessive floodlighting of a building can result in the "flattening" of architectural details, as well as generating light pollution. We therefore think that tackling poor aesthetic lighting and thereby enhancing appreciation of our architecture, public spaces and natural environment goes hand in hand with tackling the light pollution which has such a damaging affect on our appreciation of the night sky.

  7.  In terms of current planning guidelines and controls on the design of lighting, CABE agrees with the view expressed by the ODPM document "Lighting in the Countryside: Towards Good Practice" that "the planning system offers much greater scope than is currently realised to control, guide and influence lighting associated with new development".

  8.  Although exterior illumination does not in itself require planning permission, the structures and installations involved may require planning permission or the lighting may be associated with a development proposal which requires planning permission. Where this is the case, the lighting elements can be influenced by use of planning conditions.

  9.  Local authorities should consider the need for policies on lighting in their development plan. Since planning applications are determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise, the existence of policies on lighting would be a useful tool in securing appropriate lighting as part of development schemes. A number of Planning Policy Guidance Notes provide support for the inclusion of lighting issues in the preparation of development plan policies and, in turn, the determination of planning applications.

  10.  There are more controls with respect to listed buildings, where both the local authority and English Heritage can be involved, and consent is certainly needed if the lighting fixtures affect the special architectural or historical interest of the building in question. Local authorities should consider the importance of policies and controls within areas which may be dependent on strong architectural cohesion and plan for their character, to ensure that the lighting of individual buildings respects that character, as well as seeking to avoid light pollution.

  11.  We would like to see more local authorities draw up guidelines for good practice in the design of lighting and this could be contained in Supplementary Planning Guidance. Such guidance should include:

—  advice on the amount and type of light required for specific tasks and purposes

—  encouragement to good neighbourliness

—  environmental awareness and advice on energy consumption and efficiency

—  advice on fixtures, their positioning in relation to façade design, with the aim of avoiding glare and light pollution

—  the encouragement of lighting trials

—  the suggestion that installations should be treated as a part of the overall architectural concept.

—  advice on the colour of lighting to be used and the effect of different lighting on building materials

—  the accessibility and maintenance of fittings

—  the importance of ensuring that replacement parts match the original scheme eg in terms of the colour of the light

—  consideration of the vulnerability of fittings to theft

  In drawing up guidance, local authorities could refer to a number of advisory publications, including the RFAC's report "Lighten Our Darkness" and the Chartered Institution of Building Service Engineers and the Institution of Lighting Engineers report "Lighting and the Environment : A Guide to Good Urban Lighting". In addition the ODPM have published "Lighting in the Countryside : Towards Good Practice", which contains much relevant advice, although not all of it will be applicable in urban situations. Clearly it would be desirable for there to be comprehensive national guidance which could form the basis for local policies.

  12.  We believe that there should be a comprehensive lighting strategy for every urban centre, to ensure that guidance is carried out in a coordinated manner.

  A lighting strategy would give consideration to aesthetic concerns and aim to ensure that all those making lighting decisions acted in concert with one another and with visually literate experts to create a well-considered and comprehensive effect. In certain areas of towns and cities—for example, in important squares—the aim should be to coordinate the lighting of the various buildings and other features in and around the square, not only to increase enjoyment of the individual buildings but also to create a harmonious effect which, for example, suggests a hierarchy of buildings through the use of lighting.

  13.  It is our view, which we have stated a number of times in reviewing schemes which have come before us, that the lighting of significant buildings should be considered as an integral part of the design process, and not treated as an "add-on" at a later date. Where a building is likely to be lit, we would therefore like to see local authorities insist upon evidence of a properly considered lighting scheme as part of any design submitted as a planning application—this will, of course, be easier if the requirement for appropriate lighting is a policy in the development plan. Such a lighting scheme should also be shown to be consistent with any wider lighting strategy which may exist for the area in which the proposal is located. As noted previously, local authorities can ensure implementation of appropriate lighting schemes after the granting of planning consent by means of planning conditions, and we would urge them to do so.

April 2003