Lighting Housing Developments of the Future

For your new development you will be required to complete a planning application and to submit a street lighting design for adoptable and non-adoptable areas. This submission will go to the street lighting team within the Local Authority and they will decide if your design is to their desired specification and therefore, where applicable, appropriate for adoption.

To achieve approval your design will need to comply with BS5489:2015 and BSEN13201:2015 and/or any other relevant design guidance which is applicable.  This means you will be required to submit a full risk assessment, environmental statement with clear detailed design layouts and specification.  If you have ecology concerns it is likely you will require an ecology lighting mitigation strategy to support the design and this may well be required in advance of the detailed design phase of planning approval.

Car parks, remote footpaths or areas which are not to be adopted by the Local Authority will also need British Standard compliant designs otherwise you yourselves will be at risk under the Construction (Design and Management) (CDM2015) regulations under the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) designer risk legal guidance.  If you do not use a competent designer for all aspects of your design and produce a risk assessed scheme you will not comply and could face far reaching legal implications.

We are accredited at the highest level (level four) as lighting designers under the Institution of Lighting Professionals (ILP) competency accreditation.  This means to you that we are deemed competent and can produce lighting designs that comply with the designer requirements of CDM2015, so ensuring the risk is covered during your design process.  Be sure to check the level of competency your designers have before engaging them.  To be level four you need to be MILP and at least an Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and have senior level experience of design and management.  See the next section for further information on competency.

Lighting designs for residential and commercial development need to be compliant so unless you have all elements the Local Authority require you will not receive approval (manufacturer schemes do not supply this and will never be allowed to be adopted).  We can assist you at every step of the way and our designs include all elements you need to tick the approval boxes.  Call us NOW for further information and avoid last minute problems when your manufacturer design is sent back un-approved.

At it does Lighting Ltd we are accredited at the highest level (level four) as lighting designers under the Institution of Lighting Professionals (ILP) competency accreditation scheme. This means to you that we are deemed competent and can produce lighting designs that comply with the designer requirements of Construction (Design and Management) (CDM2015) regulations under the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) designer risk legal guidance.

This ensures the risk is covered during your design process and that should there be any issues requiring legal intervention you will have shown that you have demonstrated due diligence in your approach to the regulations.  Be sure to check the level of competency your designers have before engaging them or be prepared to take on that risk yourselves, as the person who signs off the design for your company, the risk really does sit with you.

To be level four you need to be a Member of the Institution of Lighting Professionals (MILP) and at least an Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or a Chartered Engineer (CEng) with senior level experience of design.  Experience, accreditation and competency…. we have it all!  Get in touch at information@itdoes.co.uk to get your project underway.

Light is fundamental to our 24-hour society, we need our night-time environment to feel inviting and reassuring so that we can go about our work or social activities without difficulty.

Well-designed, appropriate lighting brings all sorts of benefits to your project.  Firstly, it means you have a safe, secure and well-lit space to ensure your new residents and their visitors feel happy to come and go from their new home during the hours of darkness.  When viewing properties at dusk or early evening the streets appear safe and welcoming which helps to ensure buyers want to choose your development over your competition.  Fear of crime is reduced and the ‘look and feel’ of the development is enhanced both by day and by night from the choice of the right product through to the resulting lit effect.

Placement of luminaires and the distribution of light is crucial as this aspect could mean the difference between a good night’s sleep for your residents or glare/light ingress which might keep them awake.  With the advent of LED using a qualified competent designer means you will have the minimum of issues when the new home owners move in.  Obviously the Local Authority has final say on luminaire placement however, a good design sets the scene and gives the planners confidence that all aspects of a design have been thought through.

We have all the relevant insurances and are members of SSIP and CQMS. We are also a Carbon Neutral Zone accredited company therefore, giving you the peace of mind that your green credentials are continued through working with us.

Working hard to support you through all stages of the planning application, we make sure we are doing our job properly so you can do yours.

There are many elements in the street scape that may impact how we approach a lighting design but our philosophy is to work with your landscape and M&E/Civils consultants. This ensures we all get the layout we need to make the best use of the space and create the perfect place for your future residents to live.  This collaborative approach means that you have the opportunity to remove issues before they arise in the design process and save cost as well as time.

One of the major challenges on every design is tree placement which ideally should be done after the lighting design has been completed.  This is because street lighting is required to meet a design standard whereas trees do not have such restrictions on placement.  Bear in mind that if you have a tree lined road with lots of driveways and parking bays then you limit our options for luminaire placement.  Work with us to ensure the design can meet every aspect of the brief before agreeing to fix the planning criteria.  This will avoid lengthy discussions with planning and billable work for changes before approvals can be met.

Other things to avoid are bollards as they won’t meet BS5489:2015 design criteria and will never be adoptable by a Local Authority.  Even for non-adoptable work they are not applicable for many reasons such as….

What does work are well thought out, competently designed, lighting schemes by professional lighting designers.  We use known and approved luminaires to ensure you get a scheme which is well designed, energy effective and easy to maintain.  Bottom line is it will cost you less in the long term and save you time during planning.

Being the only approved and accredited Secure by Design consultancy we are uniquely qualified to help you reduce the fear of crime on your new development. We can design out shadows, increase visibility, enable natural surveillance and give new residents the comfortable environment in which to go about their activities after dark.

Keeping pace with modern policing methods and advice we talk to the local Crime Prevention Officers to ensure their concerns are satisfied for in our design process. Modern developments need to be safe and secure places for those using the space and these issues should be addressed early in the process. Don’t let your project be a criminal hot spot of the future, work with us to ensure you get it right.