Lighting Strategy

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10.0 Lighting Strategy

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EXTERNAL LIGHTING ASSESSMENT Rev D – 10/05/09 Introduction Skelly & Couch LLP were commissioned to undertake an assessment of the impacts of the proposed outline development on the existing light environment. This chapter reports on the findings of the assessment in its planning context relevant to lighting and light pollution. The potential impacts of the proposed development on the baseline environment are then described, followed by the agreed mitigation measures and a description of any residual impacts that remain after mitigation. Finally, this chapter will report on the likely significance of potentially cumulative impacts occurring. The Strategy has been developed with the aim of finding a balance between providing sufficient light to enhance the night-time environment and the public’s perception of security, but at the same time also ensuring minimal impacts on both the site’s historic sensitivities, its ecological environment and that of its green belt location. For the purposes of this report, Light Pollution is defined as:

“Light Pollution is an emotive term that describes light that serves no useful purpose going into the night sky creating what is known as sky glow …“Another form of pollution is glare………causing visual discomfort”. (CIBSE / ILE, 1995).

National Legislation, Planning Guidance and Policy PPG 1 (1997): General Policy and Principles gives guidance on the role of design considerations in planning (paragraphs 13-20) and states that “development plans should set out design policies against which development proposals are to be considered”. It also advises that supplementary design guidance may usefully include advice about matters such as lighting, where these are likely to have a significant impact on the character or quality of the existing environment (Annex A). As with all major developments that are put under the scrutiny of the planning process, this guidance note highlights the importance of assessing the impact of light design on the baseline environment. No specific supplementary planning guidance on Lighting Design is available for the Harold Hill area, therefore national guidance applies. PPG 7 (1997): The Countryside - Environmental Quality and Economic Development advises planning authorities (paragraph 4.1) “to take account of the special features or qualities of designated areas such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) in their planning policies and development control decisions.” It also states that “development in the countryside should maintain and enhance the environment, and should be sensitively designed” (paragraphs 2.3 and 2.12).

While PPG7 is not strictly relevant to this suburban site, the application site is set on the edge of a dimly lit greenbelt landscape and therefore the principles of the guidance have been taken into account. Every effort should therefore be made to maintain or enhance this environment and PPG7 shall been adhered to when developing the lighting strategy for the proposed development (Chapter 3 refers). PPS23 (2004) Appendix A (Matters for Consideration in Preparing Local Development Documents and Taking Decisions on Individual Planning Applications) states that “the following matters (not in any order of importance) should be considered in the preparation of development plan documents and may also be material in the consideration of individual planning applications where pollution considerations arise: the need to limit and, where possible, reduce the adverse impact of light pollution, e.g. on local amenity, rural tranquility and nature conservation. This guidance is relevant to any new development and informs planning policy. It also highlights the importance of minimising light pollution resulting from the new development. Planning conditions may be applied to the lighting scheme as part of the planning approval process. PPG17: Sport, Open Space and Recreation states that “wasted light is wasted energy”. It also considers the effects of security lighting, stating that it is often necessary but should not be a nuisance. It identifies a number of additional factors such as history, landscape, local residents, characteristics of the region, astronomers, landscape design, lighting need, quality not quantity, local economy and measures to encourage the use of public transport; all of which should be considered in the lighting strategy. PPG19 Outdoor Advertisement Control summarises government policy on outdoor advertisements. It advises (paragraphs 11 and 12) that local planning authorities should have regard to the effect of an advertisement on the appearance of the building or on visual amenity in the immediate neighbourhood. The cumulative impact on the distinctive character of the locality is relevant. This guidance is relevant to any external signage adopted as part of the scheme and signage at bus shelters etc. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) has published a document entitled ‘Lighting in the Countryside – towards better practice’ which provides guidance for planners and developers relating to minimising light pollution in rural situations. Although Harold Hill lies with a sub-urban context, the particularly historic and ecological sensitivities of the application site mean that the general principles described in this document should be applied here.

The initial Dark Skies Policy (which is rarely referred to now) was adopted by the lighting industry in conjunction with the BAA (British Astronomical Association) in the early 90’s. This was an attempt to reduce light pollution from offending light fixtures that had little or no Upward Light Output Ratio (ULOR) control. In the urban context the Dark Skies Policy is not strictly applicable, however ULOR has been referred to in this document as an attempt good practice. On 7th April 2005 the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill received Royal Assent and became the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act. Clause 102 of this Act extends the definition of statutory nuisance to include light pollution, ‘artificial light emitted from premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance’, and therefore amends Section 79 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, c 43.

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Technical Standards Technical guidance on suitable light levels, design and glare restrictions for road, footpath and car parks was used to inform this assessment as follows: ,

BS EN 13201-2:2003 Road Lighting, Part 2: Performance Requirements

BS 5489-1:2003 Code of Practice for the Design of Road Lighting – Part 1: Lighting of Roads and Public Amenity Areas

Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Lighting Guide LG6 1992 - The Outdoor Environment. This document infers the need to use light fixtures that have good upward control but does not stipulate critical limits on ULOR or cut-off angle. The inference appears to be one of adopting a common sense approach in evaluating any light that is directed skyward or open to cause light pollution.

‘Guidance Notes for the Reduction of Light Pollution’, The Institution of Lighting Engineers (ILE), 2000, (Revised 05/03), www.ile.org.uk.

‘Lighting the Environment – A Guide to Good Urban Lighting’, ILE/CIBSE.

‘Guide to the Lighting of Urban Areas’, Commission Internationale De L’Eclairage (CIE), 2000, CIE 136-2000.

‘Recommendations for the Lighting of Roads for Motor and

Pedestrian Traffic’, Commission Internationale De L’Eclairage (CIE), 1995, CIE 115-1995.

‘Guide on the Limitation of the Effects of Obtrusive Light from Outdoor Lighting Installations’, Commission Internationale De L’Eclairage (CIE), 2003, CIE 150-2003.

‘Guidelines for Minimising Sky Glow’, Commission Internationale De L’Eclairage (CIE), 1997, CIE 126-1997.

‘Guidelines for Minimising Urban Sky Glow near Astronomical Observatories’, International Astronomical Union (IAU) / Commission Internationale De L’Eclairage (CIE), 1980, Publication IAU/CIE No1:1980.

‘Secured by Design Principles’, ACPO CPI June 2004.

As part of this guidance the CIE (Commission Internationale De L’Eclairage) provide a Zoning System to characterise the level of light provided for different landscape characters. The zones and their description are outlined in Table 12.5 below along with examples of typical Astronomical Activities that can occur in these environments (CIE, 1997) Table 1 CIE Zoning System

Zone Rating

Surrounding Description Astronomical

Activities E1 Natural Areas with

intrinsically dark landscapes: National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (where roads usually are unlit)

Observatories of (inter)national standing

E2 Rural Areas of low district brightness: generally outer urban and rural residential areas (where roads are lit to residential road standard.

Postgraduate and academic studies

E3 Sub-urban Areas of middle district brightness: generally urban residential areas (where roads are lit to traffic route standard.

Undergraduate studies, amateur observations

E4 Urban Areas of high district brightness: generally urban areas having mixed residential and commercial land use with high night-time activity.

Casual sky viewing

The Site The application site for the proposed development borders a sub-urban residential area and contains school buildings that provide amenities to the community and routes through the site to landscapes and amenities beyond. In addition to the educational buildings, the site currently accommodates public footpaths, a road and car parking facilities that are all lit at night.

The application site adjoins a series of parkland spaces that are largely unlit and collectively form the setting a historic landscape and the edge of the greenbelt. The M25 can be seen in the distance cutting through the greenbelt. The site is considered to have a higher than average rate of crime and therefore would benefit from enhanced lighting to certain amenity areas and improved sightlines and CCTV (see security and access statement). CIE Zoning of Site We have classified the site as an E3 Zone near Dagnam Park Drive Sheffield Drive and Settle Road, scaling off to E2 at the green Belt edges of the site. Whilst the E2 zones within the site are not large enough to be classified as E2 zones in their own right (i.e. less than 2km wide, see Table.2 below, they are adjacent to large areas of darker parkland. Therefore, consideration shall be given to the boundary of the site adjoining these areas to ensure that they are treated with care in respect to their inherent darkness and Landscape designation. Table 2 Minimum distances (in km) between zone borderlines and a reference point (CIE, 1997).

Zone Rating of reference point

Zone rating surrounding zones distance (km) to borderline of surrounding zones

E1-E2 E2-E3 E3-E4 E1 1 10 100 E2 - 1 10 E3 - - 1 E4 No limits

Whilst there are no astronomical observatories of national or academic standing in the area around the application site, some casual astronomy is likely to be undertaken by local residents and interest groups. The local Astronomy Society is located in Cranham, approximately 3-4 miles from the site. Therefore the E3 zonal classification seems appropriate for this application site.

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Recommended light levels for pedestrian areas, footpaths and cycle tracks

The figures in bold within Table 3 below relate to the criteria that are deemed suitable for the application site. The crime rate is reported to be moderate to high, but we will consider high figures to gain an extra sense of security. Only good colour rendering lights are to be specified as these are better for CCTV coverage and attracting insects for bats to feed on. The environmental zone is E3, but E2 light levels will be considered in the park and conservation areas. Routes through the application site will be considered to have low traffic flow, whilst others will be considered to have normal traffic flow. Table 3 Recommended light levels

BS 5489-1:2003 LIGHTING CLASS

BS EN 13201 – 2 HORIZONTAL ILLUMINANCE

CRIME RATE

COLOUR RENDER-ING

TRAFFIC FLOW ZONE

LIGHTING

CLASS

ĒAV (LUX)

ĒMIN (LUX)

Low Poor Low E1/E2 S5 3 0.6

E3/E4 S4 5 1

Normal E1/E2 S4 5 1

E3/E4 S3 7.5 1.5

Good Low E1/E2 S6 2 0.6

E3/E4 S5 3 0.6

Normal E1/E2 S5 3 0.6

E3/E4 S4 5 1

Moderate Poor Low E1/E2 S4 5 1

E3/E4 S3 7.5 1.5

Normal E1/E2 S3 7.5 1.5

E3/E4 S2 10 3

Good Low E1/E2 S5 3 0.6

E3/E4 S4 5 1

Normal E1/E2 S4 5 1

E3/E4 S3 7.5 1.5

High Poor Low E1/E2 S2 10 3

E3/E4 S2 10 3

Normal E1/E2 S2 10 3

E3/E4 S1 15 5

Good Low E1/E2 S2 10 3

E3/E4 S2 10 3

Normal E1/E2 S3 7.5 1.5

E3/E4 S2 10 3

In addition to this guidance, other documents provide guidance on the light levels required for more specific situations. For example, the CIBSE LG6 (1992) states that public car parks should be lit to 20lux and

BS 5489-1:2003 states that open steps and ramps should be lit to 30lux.

The ILE ‘Guidance Notes for the Reduction of Light Pollution’ define limits for four forms of obtrusive light, sky glow, light trespass onto adjacent properties, source intensity or glare, and building luminance for all four of the CIE Zones. These are outlined in Table 12.7 below.

Table 4 CIE Table of Obtrusive Light Limitations for Exterior Lighting Installations

ZONE RATING

ULORINS

T

(%)

VERTICAL ILLUMINANCE EV [LUX]

BEFORE CURFEW (BC)

AFTER CURFEW (AC)

E1 0 2 1

E2 0 – 5 5 1

E3 0 – 15 10 2

E4 0 - 25 25 5

ZONE RATING

ULORINS

T

(%)

SOURCE INTENSITY I [KCD]

BEFORE CURFEW (BC)

AFTER CURFEW (AC)

E1 0 0 0

E2 0 – 5 20 0.5

E3 0 – 15 30 1.0

E4 0 - 25 30 2.5

ZONE RATING

ULORINS

T

(%)

BUILDING LUMINANCE BEFORE CURFEW

AVERAGE L [CD/M2]

MAXIMUM L [CD/M2]

E1 0 0 0

E2 0 – 5 5 10

E3 0 – 15 10 60

E4 0 - 25 25 150

The Lighting Proposals for the New Development No lighting design has been developed yet but the purpose of the new installation will be:

for safety of movement

for security of persons or property

to enhance the amenity value of important buildings, public spaces and parks

for advertising or display – to emphasis a premises by means of lighting

impacts on the historic conservation While satisfying the need for safety of movement only requires the ground to be lit, the need for safety and security means that a larger volume of light is required, so that a person’s face or intentions can be recognised from a safe distance. This can result in a general diffusion of light reflected from surfaces and atmospheric scattering. Many of these factors are true of the existing baseline case. The two significant additions to the site are:

The addition of the Havering College The addition of a Floodlit Multi-Use Games Area

Potential Impacts of the Development on local residents The potential for an increase in ULOR from the lighting installation is a negative impact that could have a significant direct effect on sky glow, and as a result upon casual or amateur observations of the sky at night. The potential for an increase in light spill from the application site into neighbouring properties and glare from the lighting installation are both negative impacts that could have a significant direct effect on the glare imposed on residential neighbours. Impacts on local ecology The lighting strategy has been developed to minimise the impact on local ecological sensitivities such as bat foraging and commuting routes, and bird nesting areas. Little information is available on the effect of different levels of light on Bats but anecdotal evidence suggests that any increase in light level can be detrimental. Impacts on astronomers The potential for an increase in ULOR from the lighting installation is a negative impact that could have a significant direct effect on sky glow, and as a result casual or amateur observations of the sky at night. Any increases in light levels on the site are unlikely to have much impact on this figure, which is linked to threshold limits for viewing of the sky.

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Impacts on pedestrians The potential for an increase in ULOR from the lighting installation is a negative impact that could have a significant direct effect on sky glow, and as a result casual or amateur observations of the sky at night. A direct positive impact was identified for the improvement of light levels on existing pathways and the creation of new routes through the site. MITIGATION The lighting strategy for the proposed development will be developed to minimise environmental impacts as much as possible, including negative impacts on ecology, pedestrian safety and sky glow. There are a number of additional measures which will need to be implemented to ensure effectiveness of the design and minimise impacts further. The following mitigating measure could be made with respect to the light spill from the new buildings:

existing trees around the site will limit effect of light spread new trees planted to also contain views occupancy sensing on external lighting around the perimeter

of the buildings will ensure that lighting is turned off at night when building’s are unoccupied

central off switch will be employed to allow all lights to be switched off at night

The following mitigating measures could be made with respect to the light spill from the amenity lighting:

Design the amenity lighting to suitable light levels for the surrounding areas ( as outlined in the British Standard and CIE guidance)

Contain light with structure being lit to minimise light spill Use light shields where necessary Impose curfew on lighting Ensure lighting conforms to ILE guidelines.

The Havering College building has been designed so that it’s entrance and car park are facing away from the nearest residential dwellings thus mitigating against the potential impact of the addition of this building. The MUGA has been orientated so that the lights will not point directly at nearby houses and is far enough away to not cause a nuisance. A simple artificial light model has been created for the MUGA using the light modelling software Dialux. This model is for illustrative purposes only as the design for the MUGA and its lighting will be developed by others but we assume that the final design will need to be submitted for approval prior to construction. A model has also been carried out for the College Car Park.

CONCLUSION The lighting design for the proposed development will be designed to meet all statutory guidance on Light Pollution and will not result in an overall negative impact to the site and its neighbours.

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Flood Lighting of the MUGA The brief requires the Sports MUGA pitch to be lit to meet Sport England Standards. The Institute of Lighting Engineers (ILE) has produced guidance notes for the reduction of obstructive light. This guidance aims to protect residents and this has been have adhered to it in the design. The area is classified as Environmental Zone E3, medium district brightness area thus the light trespass into windows must be less than 10 Lux. The selected lamp is mounted at 10m and has a shroud to make ensure directional thus reducing the spilt light over the site boundary:

Image 1: Frontier light fitting. There will be 12 no. in total mounted on

6 no. columns. The images opposite are colour plots of the lighting in the vicinity of the floodlights WITHOUT the proposed trees between the MUGA and the residential homes. .

Image 2: Colour plot laid over the site of the light given off from the flood lights. It shows luminance (brighting of the lighting on the horizontal plane).within the area.

Image 3: Colour plot showing the lux level falling on the housing facades WITHOUT protection from trees between the MUGA and the residential homes.. This is less than or equal to the guidance offered by the I.L.E.

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Flood Lighting of the External Car Park The brief requires the external car park to be lit to meet BS EN 13201-2:2003, and BS 5489-1:2003.

Image 4: Colour plot showing the lux level falling on the housing facades WITHOUT protection from trees between the External Car Park and the residential homes.. This is less than or equal to the guidance offered by the I.L.E.

Image 5: Colour plot laid over the site of the light given off from the flood lights. It shows luminance (apparent brightness of the lighting on the horizontal plane).within the area.

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Image 6: Black & White plot showing brightness of the floodlights on the horizontal plane.