Light Nuisance
The Clean Neighbourhood & Environment Act 2005 has now amended the statutory nuisance enforcement powers under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to include complaints received about light nuisance. There are exemptions which generally relate to transport provision such as rail, airport and public transport facilities, but also premises such as prisons.
Light nuisance generally occurs in relation to domestic or commercial security lighting. Matters such as these can usually be easily resolved by, for example, changing the direction of the light and where the pooling occurs, altering the location and sensitivity of detectors and by the using timers. Just by tipping the unit downwards can often make all the difference by preventing light spilling into neighbouring properties.
Different types of lamp emit different types of light and over different areas and clearly the distance from the receiver is important. It is worth noting that the power or “wattage” of a lamp does not indicate the power of the light emitted. This is expressed in lux, and may be found, usually in small print, on the packaging. Ideally the lux level should be designed to just meet the purpose but not be in excess of this. This is also more environmentally friendly by minimising the amount of energy needed and therefore the running costs as well as reducing night glow.
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