Council adopts Maroondah Public Lighting Policy

Following a comprehensive consultation process, Council has officially adopted the Maroondah Public Lighting Policy.

The Maroondah Public Lighting Policy applies to lighting for Council managed roads, reserves, car parks and lighting adjacent to Council buildings.

“Council thanks residents for their views, opinions and feedback in the development of this policy, which will help to guide the design, installation and management of public lighting across the municipality,” Mayor of Maroondah, Councillor Rob Steane, said.

During initial community consultation on the draft Maroondah Public Lighting Policy document in December 2018, two key issues emerged: decorative street lighting and the environmental impact of LED lighting.

Many of the submissions received through consultation did not support the replacement of existing decorative lighting with standard LED street lights.

There were also concerns about the environmental impact of LED lighting on the natural environment and on human health through the effects of artificial light at night.

In response to these two key issues, Council commissioned two separate documents – the Decorative Lighting Overview Paper and the Environmental Impacts Paper. Both papers sought to examine possible alternatives or solutions, and identify changes that could be made in the development of the policy.

“Currently, there are 122 decorative street lights across Maroondah that do not meet Australian Standards. This can result in inadequate lighting for roadways, footpaths and general public safety,” Cr Steane said.

“However, to address the community’s concerns regarding retaining decorative lighting, Council sought changes to the draft policy based on recommendations that came out of the Decorative Lighting Overview Paper.

“As a result, Council will be seeking additional information and approvals from Ausnet to try and retrofit decorative lights with LED upgrades. This aims to retain the existing visual appearance of the decorative lighting while upgrading to a more sustainable LED light,” he said.

“In response to the environmental concerns, Council acknowledges the importance of limiting the effect of artificial light at night, and seeks to manage this within its policy and guidelines, including lighting to the levels required (not higher); using glare shields where appropriate; and using smart lighting technology that will allow lights to be dimmed where necessary.

“Public lighting plays an important role in the safety and amenity of our community. By illuminating roads, parks and other public spaces, we can reduce the risks of accidents and injuries from occurring, as well as extend the hours in which community activities can take place,” he added.

Cr Steane said the policy would also assist Council in its goal to become carbon neutral by continuing its program of replacing old inefficient street lights with more energy efficient alternatives.

“Council has been systematically replacing energy-intensive mercury vapour and incandescent lighting with more efficient LED and compact fluorescent alternatives that are estimated to achieve carbon neutrality by 2020,” he said.

“With increasing attention on energy efficiency and environmental sustainability, past approaches to public lighting are being replaced by schemes that make better use of energy resources; minimise the impact lighting has on the environment; and produce better safety and visual amenity.

“At the same time, electricity suppliers have sought to shift pubic lighting for reserves and car parks from the unmetered network grid onto metered supplies, effectively transferring ownership – and with it, the obligation to meet ongoing maintenance and running costs – to Council.

“This policy has been produced to help ensure a consistent approach is applied to the development, installation and maintenance of public lighting in Maroondah,” Cr Steane said.

The Maroondah Public Lighting Policy, Decorative Lighting Overview Paper and Environmental Impacts Paper will be available to view online in the coming weeks.

Following a comprehensive consultation process, Council has officially adopted the Maroondah Public Lighting Policy.

The Maroondah Public Lighting Policy applies to lighting for Council managed roads, reserves, car parks and lighting adjacent to Council buildings.

“Council thanks residents for their views, opinions and feedback in the development of this policy, which will help to guide the design, installation and management of public lighting across the municipality,” Mayor of Maroondah, Councillor Rob Steane, said.

During initial community consultation on the draft Maroondah Public Lighting Policy document in December 2018, two key issues emerged: decorative street lighting and the environmental impact of LED lighting.

Many of the submissions received through consultation did not support the replacement of existing decorative lighting with standard LED street lights.

There were also concerns about the environmental impact of LED lighting on the natural environment and on human health through the effects of artificial light at night.

In response to these two key issues, Council commissioned two separate documents – the Decorative Lighting Overview Paper and the Environmental Impacts Paper. Both papers sought to examine possible alternatives or solutions, and identify changes that could be made in the development of the policy.

“Currently, there are 122 decorative street lights across Maroondah that do not meet Australian Standards. This can result in inadequate lighting for roadways, footpaths and general public safety,” Cr Steane said.

“However, to address the community’s concerns regarding retaining decorative lighting, Council sought changes to the draft policy based on recommendations that came out of the Decorative Lighting Overview Paper.

“As a result, Council will be seeking additional information and approvals from Ausnet to try and retrofit decorative lights with LED upgrades. This aims to retain the existing visual appearance of the decorative lighting while upgrading to a more sustainable LED light,” he said.

“In response to the environmental concerns, Council acknowledges the importance of limiting the effect of artificial light at night, and seeks to manage this within its policy and guidelines, including lighting to the levels required (not higher); using glare shields where appropriate; and using smart lighting technology that will allow lights to be dimmed where necessary.

“Public lighting plays an important role in the safety and amenity of our community. By illuminating roads, parks and other public spaces, we can reduce the risks of accidents and injuries from occurring, as well as extend the hours in which community activities can take place,” he added.

Cr Steane said the policy would also assist Council in its goal to become carbon neutral by continuing its program of replacing old inefficient street lights with more energy efficient alternatives.

“Council has been systematically replacing energy-intensive mercury vapour and incandescent lighting with more efficient LED and compact fluorescent alternatives that are estimated to achieve carbon neutrality by 2020,” he said.

“With increasing attention on energy efficiency and environmental sustainability, past approaches to public lighting are being replaced by schemes that make better use of energy resources; minimise the impact lighting has on the environment; and produce better safety and visual amenity.

“At the same time, electricity suppliers have sought to shift pubic lighting for reserves and car parks from the unmetered network grid onto metered supplies, effectively transferring ownership – and with it, the obligation to meet ongoing maintenance and running costs – to Council.

“This policy has been produced to help ensure a consistent approach is applied to the development, installation and maintenance of public lighting in Maroondah,” Cr Steane said.