Lybster lights raise the roof
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NEW lampposts in a Caithness village have been criticised for illuminating the roofs of houses more than the pavement below.
One man, who did not wish to be named, said the new system on Lybster's main street "just doesn't look right" because of the way the light is spread.
"You can clearly see strong patches of light on the roofs along the street and shadows on the pavement immediately underneath the lampposts," he said.
"I don't think they're doing their job right – and what's the point of lighting up the roofs?"
A Highland Council spokesperson said: "We can certainly reassure anyone with concerns that the footpaths and the road are certainly being lit to a much higher level than ever before."
She added that the six-metre height and positioning of the LED light fittings had been calculated using "very advanced design software" called Lighting Reality to ensure that the right lighting levels for the road were achieved.
"The software had shown us that it not only met the requirements but exceeded them – which is good news, as this was not the case previously. Before the installation of the new lights, local residents had commented over many years how dark the middle of the road was and had asked the council if there was something that could be done to improve the amount of light."
The resident who did not wish to be named said that, although the road may be illuminated to a safe enough standard, there was a problem with shadows on the pavements immediately under the lampposts. "I'm not sure if it's because they're too high but the light on the pavement seems to be getting blocked at points and lights up the roof instead. It could be an issue for anyone with a bedroom skylight window too, I'd imagine."
Charles Douthit who lives in the Upper Lybster area, says he thinks the illumination from the new LED-powered lights "intrudes" on people's houses too much.
"They should have shaded off the lights so they don't shine into houses. It's so strong that you need really strong curtains or blackout blinds to keep the light out now," he said.
The council claimed the cable network for Lybster's main street had failed its electrical test and it had a duty to ensure it met British Standards Institution wiring regulations.
"So we renewed the cable and, while we had the footpaths dug up, we installed new six-metre high columns with traditional-styled LED lanterns to ensure we were keeping in with the conservation area theme," the spokeswoman said.
"These columns, currently silver, will be painted black to suit the conservation area once the weather improves."
She added that due to the conservation status of the street there were only limited lanterns available.
"The new configuration ensures all the conservation requirements are adhered to and that the lighting does not cause a glare issue to drivers and pedestrians travelling down the road.
"We advise anyone with any concerns to contact us so we could look to see if there is an issue with any part of the installation and if we find any problems we will be able to get these rectified."
