Parish councils in Lichfield and Burntwood could be able to reduce night-time street lighting levels if new plans get the go-ahead.
Staffordshire County Council has confirmed that in areas where residents approve of the idea, lights could be switched off from midnight until 6am when traffic and pedestrian flows are at their lowest.
However, the region’s highways chief has ruled out a blanket night time switch off of street lighting following a review, which also showed that £8 million could be saved over the next 16 years by installing dimming equipment in lighting columns.
Many councils across the UK that have already dimmed their lights and have reported successful trials with no rises in crime or anti-social behaviour as a result.
Cllr Mike Maryon, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “After examining the results of this study we have decided not to introduce a blanket night time switch off of street lighting – but we will be working with communities, as part of the localism agenda and giving them the choice of what happens with street lighting in their area.
“We will, however, look to upgrade our columns by fitting special dimming technology which will save £8 million over the next 16 years.
“In the past we have over-lit areas because the technology was not available for us to control the level of light. This created light pollution that was unnecessary. Dimming the lights to the right level will also have some excellent environmental side effects, particularly for star gazers who should be able to see the night sky much more clearly.
“Other councils have already introduced this system with excellent results and we are keen to follow their example of best practice for the benefit of Staffordshire’s residents.”
The Enterprise, Environment and Scrutiny Committee will discuss the plans on May 1.
