(PG) Planning Guidance : Control of Obtrusive Lighting (light pollution) and Reducing Light Energy Consumption

NB: This consultation is now closed.

Previous Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) dating from 2009 on essentially the same subject supported the West Lothian Local Plan (now superseded) but guidance now requires to be replaced as the new West Lothian Local Development Plan (LDP) was adopted in September 2018.

Planning Guidance (PG) is produced by the council in order to explain how particular development plan policies should be applied in practice.

In this particular instance the guidance addresses two important environmental factors, nuisance light and energy usage, and supports policies DES 1 and NRG 1 of the adopted LDP. The first seeks to ensure that new development should have no adverse impact on landscape character, built heritage, habitats or protected species and the latter promotes sustainable design and development.

A key objective of this guidance is to help protect the physical and natural environment by encouraging developers, architects, and lighting designers to provide non-obtrusive and energy efficient lighting designs when preparing proposals for any development which incorporates an element of artificial outdoors lighting, irrespective of whether such works fall within the category of 'permitted development' or require planning permission in their own right. In the case of the latter the guidance explains how the council will deal with planning applications and it will assist officers and members when determining them.