Isaro Pro Road Lighting pilot in Lorton, Allerdale A pilot of five Dark Skies and wildlife friendly new road lights have been installed in the village of Lorton, in the north west part of the Lake District National Park. Expand Partners: Allerdale Borough Council, Lorton Parish Council, The Melbreak Communities and Friends of the Lake District. Description and location: A pilot of five Dark Skies and wildlife friendly new road lights have been installed in the village of Lorton, in the north west part of the Lake District National Park. The existing 44 road lights around Low and High Lorton, owned by Allerdale Borough Council, are mostly old 1980s sodium lanterns with low energy efficiency levels by today’s standards and also cast as much light upwards into the night sky. (See Images) Working together, Lorton Parish Council and the Dark Skies Cumbria Project, carried out a survey of residents in December 2020 to ask whether they supported changing the lights to more energy efficient and Dark Skies friendly ones. A clear majority (80%) supported new LED Dark Skies friendly luminaires, but also with a part-night switch off to help protect wildlife active after dark. Whilst 50% of respondents were happy to have some of the lanterns turned off completely, a fifth still wanted lighting retained for safely walking around as there are few footways in the village. The new Isaro Pro light fittings, produced by Thorn Lighting UK, are set at 2,200 Kelvin - a warm colour temperature lantern, with dimming by 50% from 9pm and will switch off at around 12pm and come back on at 6am. These new LED lights will cut electricity consumption by around 70%, angle the light beam downwards preventing sky glow light pollution and will significantly reduce maintenance costs given the age and condition of many of the existing lights. Light product: http://www.thornlighting.co.uk/en-gb/products/outdoor-lighting/street-lighting/Isaro_Pro Feedback: Lorton’s pilot five new road lanterns will be installed shortly, and as local helper Steve Irlam, Lorton Parish Councillor, explains we’ll be seeking people’s feedback: “Working with Jack Ellerby the Dark Skies Cumbria Project Officer and Allerdale Borough Council, we’ve picked the core area of the village near the school, shop and village hall to try some better new lights. As the evenings draw in this autumn ’21 we’d welcome feedback from residents before we look to replace any more of the lights we think are still needed. We will have to be pragmatic with local authority budgets being very tight some of the lights won’t be able to be replaced, including those connected to Electricity North West Ltd timber poles where their risk assessments do not now permit other equipment being attached.” Images (Steve Irlam, Tom Stennhouse and FLD): Before road light images in Lorton. These existing lights spill 26-50% up into the sky. After: New Isaro Pro LED lights produced by Thorn Lighting UK
Plurio NightTune Road Lighting in five communities across Cumbria Evolving Cumbria County Council’s road lighting replacement programme in sensitive landscape locations installing a new lighting product to the UK, called NightTune. Expand Partners: Cumbria County Council lighting team, Thorn Lighting UK (Zumtobel Group) and Friends of the Lake District. Description: Evolving Cumbria County Council’s road lighting replacement programme in sensitive landscape locations installing a new lighting product to the UK, called NightTune. NightTune is a variable optical system developed by Thorn Lighting, with an indirect luminaire causing zero sky glow or glare and highly energy efficient LED. Incorporating two sets of LEDs, one amber the other neutral white they can be blended to deliver a comfortable white to a very warm light. The Cumbrian pilot specification has a variable colour temperature and dimming programme at: 2,700 Kelvin/100% power (dusk), to 2,400K/75% (9-12pm approx.) and to 2,200K/50% power during the middle section of the night, before reversing this sequence to day break. The purpose of this combination balances the needs of people and the environment by • Minimising the impact on people; • Respecting spaces and protecting the dark sky; and • Safeguarding nocturnal ecosystems. Light product: http://www.thornlighting.com/en/about-us/press/plurio- Locations: Phase I of the five pilot locations are - Alston (Jollybeard Estate), Ambleside (Fisherbeck Park and Waterhead), Dent (Glebe Fold), Glenridding (Barraclough Fold and Browfield Close) and Warcop (Chapel Garth and The Croft) – 64 light fittings. Feedback: 200 feedback forms were posted to local residents and 55 responses were received, a high rate return of 26%. Approx. 75% of residents were very pleased with the new lights (see example comments below), and the majority of the remaining respondents raised concerns regarding light spill into their homes or gardens. Where lanterns are close to adjacent houses internal shielding has/will be fitted to ameliorate these specific impacts on householders. “Thanks for trialling these lights on my estate. They are way better than previous bright white lights, the shape is friendlier too. Always hated previous lights that did not attract the bats. These new ones give quite sufficient light and do not intrude at night - as last ones did. Our estate is over lit, its a small and non through road. So I am much happier.” “Positives - soft warm lighting, less glare to the eye, reduced light pollution in our bedroom through the night, we can see the gorgeous Milky Way more easily.” Images (Ian Harker, Thorn Lighting UK): Before and After – Glenridding, with zero sky glow or glare and excellent light coverage. Before and after Luminaires at Waterhead, Windermere lakeshore, Ambleside. Wider points: Cumbria County Council’s lighting design guidance standards now ensures all new or replacement road and heritage light meet Dark Skies requirements. The Borough and District Councils’ within Cumbria follow this good practice leadership, including with their own lighting and through the planning process with proposed developments. The pilot is to be expanded with a further 125 NightTune lights are programmed for installation in Carlisle borough and Eden district areas later this year.
Heritage Style Footway Lighting Cliff Terrace, Kendal Light polluting footway luminaires along Cliff Terrace, Low Fellside in Kendal have been replaced with the Town’s first Dark Skies and Wildlife friendly heritage-style light fittings. Expand Partners: Cumbria County Council lighting team, Thorn Lighting UK (Zumtobel Group), Kendal Town Council, Cliff Terrace Residents and Friends of the Lake District. Description and location: Light polluting footway luminaires along Cliff Terrace, Low Fellside in Kendal have been replaced with the Town’s first Dark Skies and Wildlife friendly heritage-style light fittings. The original Victorian cast iron lamp posts and lanterns were removed in the 1960-70s and subsequent repairs left a mis-match of fittings. The residents along the Terrace suffered from unwanted light shining into their houses and the extent of the light pollution cast much wider into the night sky. Members of the local Eddington Astronomical Society had raised concerns about the levels of light pollution from Kendal Castle public open space from where the Cliff Terrace lights were seen, both the lanterns themselves and their reflections from the house windows. Cumbria County Council’s lighting team were able to assist residents in sourcing the new Heritage fittings which use modern energy efficient, LED technology to direct an asymmetrical light beam downwards along the length of path and with a warmer colour temperature of 2,200 Kelvin to protect wildlife and reduce glare. The new lanterns are mounted on restored, cast iron heritage lamp posts which were reintroduced into the local street scene to reclaim the original character of the Terrace situated in the Kendal Conservation Area. The new asymmetric lantern prevents wasted light projecting up the house front elevations and focuses the beam along the length of the path surface to improve user visibility. Light product: http://www.thornlighting.co.uk/en-gb/products/outdoor-lighting/urban-amenity-lighting/EP_145_LED Lamp post supplier: https://www.metcraftlighting.com/products/ Feedback: Informal feedback from the residents shows they are thrilled with the improvements and wider benefits from the new lights. Antony Paddle, Cliff Terrace resident, said: “Jack Ellerby approached us in January and asked if we would like some better lights for the Terrace as a test-bed for dark-sky-friendly street lighting. From the start, the residents were very enthusiastic to support the Dark Skies Cumbria Project and we helped along the way. Thanks to Jack, our Town and County Councillors and the County’s lighting team, we now have lights that are entirely appropriate for a lovely early Victorian terrace in a Conservation Area, fitted with modern low-energy LED arrays that put light only where we need it. Apart from the benefits to nocturnal animals, our view of the night sky and the climate, we no longer have bright light shining up into our windows at night. As a wildlife and astronomy enthusiast, I am delighted.” Images (Anthony Paddle, Charlie Woodburn and FLD): Before – day and night on Cliff Terrace. Note the glare on to the houses and poorly light path surface. New Heritage-style lanterns, footway and Cliff Terrace houses (daytime) New lights at night focusing light down on to the path at Cliff Terrace (right, from upper floor window) Wider points: Night time observations show that Moths are not attracted or ‘entrapped’ under the lights, and larger Bat species are feeding in close proximity, demonstrating the biodiversity gains from using the warmer colour 2,200 Kelvins LEDs.
Lighting Producers / manufacturers Companies producing some Dark Skies compliant domestic and commercial fittings, and road and footway lighting (NB. This list is not exhaustive, and will be continuously updated): Expand Companies producing some Dark Skies compliant domestic and commercial fittings, and road and footway lighting (NB. This list is not exhaustive, and will be continuously updated): https://arklighting.co/product/ https://www.ewo.com/products https://www.dwwindsor.com/products/ https://www.ewo.com/products https://www.hess.eu/en/products/lighting https://www.holophane.co.uk/products/ https://www.kingfisherlighting.com/search-results/?search=Dark+Sky https://www.ligman.com/dark-sky-certified-ranges/ https://orangetek.co.uk/our-products/ https://www.salvi.es/en/productos/ https://uk.schreder.com/en/products https://www.selux.com/gbr/en/exterior/products/lif http://www.thornlighting.co.uk/en-gb/products/outdoor-lighting/street-lighting See also the International Dark Skies Association (IDA) registered list: https://www.darksky.org/our-work/lighting/lighting-for-industry/fsa/fsa-products/#!/Search-by-Company/c/12710773 Wholesalers / Distributors / DIY outlets stocking Dark Sky compliant light fittings, include: B & Q, City Electrical Factors (CEF) Ltd, Edmondson Electrical Ltd, Home base, Screwfix, Tool station, YESSS Electrical Ltd. Only some light products will show the IDA’s Fixture Seal of Approval logo, but check all products against the Good Lighting Tips in this section of the Dark Skies Cumbria website.