Campaigners fear South Shields lamps 'will destroy night sky'
The approved plans would see 10m-high (32.8ft) lamp-posts installed on the west side of the road, with "dark-sky compliant lanterns to minimise visual and ecological impact", the local authority said.The lighting would be dimmed during the evening to reduce energy use and light spill.Campaigners previously told the BBC the lights would damage wildlife and cause light pollution.
Mr Gibson said the route was a "vital link for cyclists and pedestrians", adding the "improved lighting will make it safer and more accessible".The decision was informed by a Road Safety Audit which identified clear risks in the absence of street lighting, the council said.The authority said lighting impact, ecological and habit regulation assessments were all undertaken to address concerns raised by residents.
Campaigners strongly disputed that and said the council had ignored their concerns.Malcolm Porter, campaigner, told BBC Look North: "We are really angry that the council has paid lip service to listening to us but they haven't actually done anything about it. "They are going to put lights up that will fuel light pollution all over the Leas and harm the wildlife and they say it is on road safety grounds but there aren't any serious accidents here, the traffic is relatively slow at 30mph."The decision has hit residents that live along the road particularly hard.Kim Driver, campaigner, said: "The feedback I am getting is unbelievable, absolute devastation. "The houses are going to all be lit up, the council think they had a battle on for the last year, trust me this is only the start of the next campaign, we will take it as far as we can."
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Telegraph
22 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Chinese hackers have seized control. How did we let this happen?
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All in all, then, this may not seem a good time to force Britons to use a new government identity service. Especially when you know that 'red team' penetration testing proved in March that this could be penetrated by hostile foreign agents without them being detected. This is what Baroness Neville Jones calls 'a piece of critical infrastructure'. Chinese agents may already be 'living off the land' inside the One Login system, on which your government wallet has been built, and soon perhaps, your digital ID. But don't expect Peter Kyle, the Science and Technology Minister, to put the brakes on the One Login project when he's its biggest fan. To survive and prosper, we need serious and technically aware people in his position, who listen to the security professionals. Kyle appeared on Newsnight last week wearing jeans and a T-shirt and trainers, all of which were intended to signal to viewers his youthful love of digital technology. He is 54.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Tasers to be issued to staff in male prisons in government crack down on violence
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The National
an hour ago
- The National
John Swinney and Donald Trump to meet in Aberdeen
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