Derbyshire County Council (DCC) is proposing to introduce ‘part night street lighting’ in Parwich. This process has already taken place in other parishes throughout Derbyshire. DCC has identified street lights which are proposed to be turned off for part of each night in Parwich.
There will be a consultation period which commences on 5th March and lasts until 2nd April. Parwich residents are invited to submit comments directly to DCC regarding this initiative during this period.
A copy of the plan illustrating the lights which are proposed to be turned off will be available for inspection at Parwich village shop.
Members of the parish council will discuss this proposal at the next parish council meeting on 20th March 2013.
S Hampson
Clerk
Parwich Parish Council
24.2.2013
Sounds like a sensible, green, and night-sky-friendly proposal.
Informative link here: http://www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk/int_dark_sky_places.html
Anthony C
As most people who live in the area are aware,we have had thefts in this area of sheep, gates,landrovers,trailers etc and to switch off the very few lights that we have in the village would be folly. I believe it would cost more in parts and labour to fit switch gear to the lights than it would save in the running costs for electricity.
Thanks Terry.P.
I can certainly sympathise with your point of view. I wonder, though, whether the absence of a (perhaps) unnecessary street-light or two in Parwich would have the slightest impact on the felonious activities you cite – especially sheep, which don’t usually spend their evenings on village pavements.
Landrover theft is pretty beyond the pale though – one could understand it, for example, if it were a Citroen C2, or even the odd RAV4…
Regarding “switch gear”, the infrastructure is already in place; has been for a very long time – it explains how street-lights turn off in daytime.
Frankly, I shudder when I look at night-time satellite images of the Earth today, whole areas drowned by extraneous, environmentally-damaging lighting – both public and private.
Light-pollution is a very important topic – as is wasteful, gratuitous energy use. I’m absolutely open to persuasive counter-arguments regarding safety, for example, but sheep; field gates etc, don’t really cut it.
The plan of which lights are to stay on all night and which are to be switched off for part of the night is now up at the Sycamore. I personally was surprised how many are to stay on all night. Will see if I can get a copy for the Blog.
Very well put arguments Anthony C, I still remember with regret the village I was brought up in, installing street lighting in the mid 70s and how sad I was to lose the dark nights.
I can see that you have not got your ear to the ground regarding theft Anthony, ask Mr Fred K about the theft of his pick up truck that was stolen from outside his house at night, Mr A’s theft of tools from his outbuildings, Mr M’s tools from his garage,and I believe a Mr S also had things taken, Mr Pete E had things stolen to from his outbuildings, these are but a few.
I used the recent reports of local theft as an example, and I believe that the very few lights we have in the village will not make a significant impact to light polution one way or another. Regarding the switching on and off of the street lights, there are several ways they can be switched on and off depending upon the internal workings of the light (I could give you a step by step insight into electrical switching but you might not understand). Regarding sheep on pavements I’m sure I wouldnt have to look to far to find one in Parwich.
Regarding field gates and sheep, if you were to observe your surroundings you will see that we are surrounded by field gates and sheep, and the theft of these items to some of us is a substantial loss and to be taken seriously.
Thanks Terry.P.
I don’t (of course) dispute that theft occurs in our area – like everywhere else. I question whether these proposals will affect its incidence. According to DCC:
“The evidence from other areas of the country in which these measures have been introduced indicates that levels of crime and numbers of traffic accidents do not increase”.
And I think the wider point about this initiative is that, in aggregate, turning off superfluous street lighting everywhere will bring benefits. Here are the figures from DCC:
“For Derbyshire, Part-Night lighting will:
Save 2,000 tonnes of carbon every year – that’s 10 per cent of the total carbon produced by the county council’s street lights and the equivalent of taking 625 cars off the road.
Save more than £400,000 a year on energy bills. Last year we spent around £5.5 million on lighting and maintaining street lights with £2.7 million being spent on electricity.
Avoid further charges of up to £220,000 per year to pay for carbon emissions produced by street lights under the Government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme. Together with an increase in energy prices, this charge is likely to rise in the future.”
I find these reasons compelling, and there’s every reason for Parwich to play its part, however modest.
Terry, it is depressing to notice that the robberies you mention are mainly the tools of people’s trade. Also looking at the street light map up in the Sycamore, they seem to involve properties that were near street lights. Presumably this means we need to all be vigilant, both in our villages and in the surrounding countryside.
Peter thanks for your observations,, the examples I stated were only a few people that had been burgled in the village, and yes this is when street lights are on, so switching some off is an open invitation to those thieves that have been this way before.
You may be aware that the police force is shrinking in manpower, and it will be only another few months before east europeans from Romania will arrive on our door step in great numbers. We cannot find jobs for all the people that are already here let alone more migrants, and some of these people are more interested in organised crime than working for the greater good.
You can look at this another way aswell, I have to ask what exactly we are getting in Parwich for all this council tax we pay, if they switch off the lights ,will we all be getting a refund or will the savings be swallowed up in local government pensions and pay.
Please do not think that I do not care about the environment because as a salmon fisherman I most defintly do.