It
showed that since 1993 we have seen a steady deterioration in the
visibility of the night sky. Areas around major towns and cities
have become increasingly light and in areas of high tranquillity
around the region, such as the Marches of Shropshire and Herefordshire,
we have seen large areas of countryside lose their dark skies.
Not only does the night sky inspire and delight us, inappropriate
light has become an increasing nuisance to people, whether it’s
a neighbour’s security light shining in the back window or
the arc lights of new factories.
Thre are simple solutions The Highway Agency and some local authorities,
for example, are installing baffled lighting on streets, as have
more progressive businesses. Some stores are stocking lower wattage
security lights.
And
in areas around the West Midlands residents are already successfully
campaigning and challenging industry and local authorities to instigate
best practice lighting.
Night Blight is still a major issues and our Branches continue to
monitor the impact and try to ensure new development, in particular,
has a low impact on the night sky.
You can read CPRE’s detailed report on how we can tackle this
growing problem, at all levels, from the local householder considering
better their own lighting options to Government action to deal with
the problem.
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