Street lights switch-off is a glowing success

A six-month pilot project to switch off street lights overnight in Church Stretton has been hailed as a success – after councillors revealed they had received no complaints from residents.

Bob Welch, mayor of Church Stretton, said crime in the town had gone down since street lights were switched off overnight from September. And he said the move had led to an unlikely boost in tourism.

Stargazers have been flocking to the town to make the most of the darker skies to look into space.

Lights have been switched off from midnight until early morning in a number of areas of the town in a plan which could see street lights across Shropshire turned off to save money and reduce carbon emissions.

Street lights owned by Church Stretton Town Council on the Battlefield estate have been switched off over-night, while lights controlled by Shropshire Council have been switched off on roads approaching the town from the north, south and east.

Shropshire Council plans to start rolling out the project across the county from over the next few years, starting from April.

Councillor Welch said the town council had consulted residents on the Battlefield estate on areas where lights still needed to be switched on, such as street junctions. And he said the extra effort had produced a scheme most residents were happy with.

He said: "Importantly we did research in other areas of the country, such as Devon, which have tried similar ideas and we consulted residents closely. We adapted the scheme in the light of their concerns and have left lights on at some junctions.

"We have not had a single complaint from anyone and the police have told me that crime has gone down – the only three burglaries that have taken place in Church Stretton since September did not take place in the early hours of the morning.

"New stargazing sessions are being organised at Carding Mill Valley by one of our councillors, Richard Hickman, as lots of people are taking an interest now the street lights are out and the skies are darker."

Simon Jones, Shropshire Council's cabinet member, said: "We are thinking carefully about which lights are suitable to be switched off in the middle of the night, and we are working with the police and emergency services to make sure that public safety is not put at risk."