Part night street lighting roll-out continues in Exeter

Around 650 streetlights in residential streets in Duryard and Pennsylvania will be converted to part-night lighting from Wednesday (19 November).

Streetlights previously on all-night will be switched off from about 12:30am to 5:30am, before coming on again until dawn. The change is part of Devon County Council’s on-going programme to reduce costs and carbon emissions across the county.

Lighting on the main roads and busiest routes, including Prince of Wales Road, Union Road, Pennsylvania Road, Stoke Hill, Higher Kings Avenue, Higher Hoopern Lane, Sylvan Road, Lower Argyll Road, Copplestone Drive, Streatham Drive and Rosebarn Avenue will remain lit all night.

This latest phase of Devon’s part-night lighting scheme takes the total number of converted residential street lights to over 44,000, having already been introduced in communities across Devon.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: “The on-going introduction of part night street lighting across Devon is proving to be a success in cutting carbon emissions and costs. We need to reduce our energy bills and emissions – just as any business or household would. The feedback we received during the city-wide consultation events has helped develop the scheme and we have been able to create a network of busy ‘walking home routes’ which will remain lit all night. Busy areas of the city centre and main roads will also remain lit all night.”

Councillor Percy Prowse, local Member for Duryard and Pennsylvania, said: "I'm pleased we've been able to keep residents up to date with regular newsletters on this issue and largely people are content, but where there were some concerns about very steep steps, namely in Linnet Close, Plassey Close, Widecombe Way and Galmpton Rise, I'm glad to hear the lights will be left on all night."

Devon County Council is responsible for over 77,000 street lights, which cost around £3.2 million in electricity in 2013/14 and produce nearly 20,000 tonnes of CO2. This accounts for around 30% of the County Council’s annual emissions, which stands at almost 62,000 tonnes of CO2, and is the equivalent of the total annual energy use of 7,300 average Devon homes or a town about the size of Honiton.

The conversion to part-night lighting across Devon began in 2009. The policy has so far reduced CO2 emissions by more than 4,000 tonnes and is saving around £450,000 a year from the Council’s electricity bill