Street Lighting Design: Radstock housing development, Radstock, Somerset

The project:

A challenging site due to its raft of ecology concerns and several failed planning applications due to the neighbourhood objections. This site needed special attention and a collaborative approached between all parts of the design team and the councils key representatives. The lighting had already caused concern in previous applications so it does…..Ltd was instructed due to its flawless track record with obtained planning for sites with ecology concerns.

The brief:

To make sure the design met with MKC specification which was written by the principal of it does…..Ltd Lorraine Calcott. Luminaire choices and design parameters were detailed by Lorraine and issues such as CCTV and public safety were mitigated by clear limits to guarantee a compliant design.

The result:

Planning was granted for all sections of the site after ecology mitigation strategies were produced by it does….Ltd and lighting design to support them. A lux level of below one Lux was agreed with the planners and Natural England so that bat routes would be secured and darkness preserved. Even elements such as conservatory lighting which may come up in the future was addressed and caveats put in place for the purchasers of the site so that the environment would continually be protected. We worked with the council to agree a suitable low lighting level which as P6 and definitely a much lower level than usually used on development sites however this strategy enabled the building to commence and alleviate any fears the neighbourhood had about the development. This scheme will be used by Natural England and the ecologists as a test site to see if over the next 5-10 years the behaviour of the ecology changes due to the inhabitation of the space and the low levels of lighting.