STREETLIGHTS in South Gloucestershire will be left on at a darkened level during the night.

Councillors voted to drop their policy on part-night street lighting at a meeting of South Gloucestershire Council’s Environment and Community Services Committee yesterday.

The controversial decision to turn off 29,500 lights during the night was introduced in 2008 as a cost-cutting measure which proved unpopular with residents in areas including Thornbury.

The council have a duty under the Public Health Act 1875 and the Highways Act 1980 to promote road safety to provide lighting where relevant to avoid creating dangerous roads.

The decision comes as advancements in the efficiency of lighting units allow them to be kept on at a lower price whilst the technology used to switch street lights off has become more expensive.

Speaking at the meeting Cllr Heather Goddard, chairwoman of the Environment and Community Services Committee, said: “The decision to switch off street lights for part of the night was controversial in some areas - particularly where there were concerns over road safety and crime.

“I am pleased to say that advancing technology allows us to reinstate whole-night lighting by dimming lights after a period of time, rather than switching them off. This will still save us money – it is a win-win policy that allows us to offer a better service at reduced cost.”

Committee member Cllr Ian Boulton said: “Turning the street lights off has proved controversial, and I suspect that many residents will welcome this change of policy.

“It will cause a very small increase in CO2 emissions, which I regret, but we will be monitoring further advances in technology which will hopefully address this over time.”

The policy is part of the councils Joint Local Transport Plan which states that it aims to reduce carbon emissions and improve quality of life and a healthy environment.

The council’s street lighting policy document states that the CO2 emissions from street lighting should be considered in the context of a continued overall reduction in energy consumption being achieved by a current roll-out of LED lights in the area. These are said to cut emissions and the 10 year conversion plan for their use will be complete by 2024.