Jump to content

Narrowband

Council taking the micky


spaceboy

Recommended Posts

I complained to the council at the beginning of the year about two street lights overlooking my garden causing a lack of privacy and LP.

Humoring me with several emails. 1st email replied: We are dealing with your inquiry and will be in touch shortly. 1 month and nothing so I sent an email 2nd reply was: that an engineer had been sent and the problem was found to be a missing fence :(:) I contacted them wanting to know where the engineer had visited as I don't have a missing fence. 3rd reply: basically we will be in touch. 4th reply: case closed :( Got in touch with them again asking what had been done? 5th reply: The engineer has your number and will contact you to arrange a visit to go over the problem and what can be done 6th reply: Case closed and complete :) I replied yet again asking what it is that was completed and they didn't do a very good job as the light is not only on all night now all day. 7th reply: An engineer will contact you today. Receive the call from the engineer and all he wanted to know was which light was staying on all day :) I explained to him Way I contacted environmental health and that I was requesting shades be put on the lights to stop light coming in my garden and he said I don't know anything about it all I was told there is a light that's staying on. I will mention some thing to the council that you requested shades be put on the lights but it's up to the council if they are prepared to fund it. :D

Try to do things the right way and they just ignore you. If they had just come out in the first place they would have see the light stays on 24/7 and the money saved turning the dam thing of would have paid for the shade. I don't know if it's worth any further effort trying the local councilor. The country is in such a financial state they will probably tell me to go whistle and keep paying Tax's for the hell of it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 108
  • Created
  • Last Reply

I would contact the local councillor in person and reinforce your request with a handwritten letter which I would hand to him/her when you see them. In Bristol, the telephone number that helps people sort out their council tax is the same number that deals with street lighting! I've now given up phoning the council about anything and now just write to them using recorded delivery to prove receipt - seems to cut through the "...my colleague shouldn't have told you that" excuse.

Best of luck with it anyway.

James

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your MP is the one to turn to if the council ignore you. Let the council know that you have passed the details/complaint onto your MP and attitudes change.

I'll give it a go. I was just hoping this would have all been sorted in time for the new season. No chance of that now :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Write back to them pointing out that the two offending lights are classed as a nusance under section 102 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, 2005. Ask that they are properly shielded.

If this fails find out how much they spend on street lighting per year. An FOI request via WhatDoTheyKnow - Make and browse Freedom of Information (FOI) requests would work if this information is not easily available. Also find their environmental blurb on their website.

Write to the local paper pointing out how wasteful it is for the council to be illuminating things unnecessarily. Quote their total lighting spend and environmental commitments. Keep your fingers crossed. Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Already tried that.

This is my original letter to them:

Environmental Health Area Office South

581 Tyburn Road,

Erdington,

Birmingham

B24 9RX

Dear Sir/ Madam

I am writing to make a complaint under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, section 101/102, Nuisance lighting.

I would like to point out that my complaint is directed two street lights numbers 11 & 13 ***** ** that due to there situ and near vicinity to the rear of my dwelling illuminates almost all of the garden at night. My rear garden is over looked by maisonettes and I feel it allows an invasion of my privacy when using the garden during the evening and at night. I understand the out lines of the 2005 Act but I am also aware that any street lighting that could be deemed prejudicial to health or a nuisance that the local authorities have a number of options open to them to help reduce or eliminate the problem.

I see from BBC reports http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/9173729.stm that several Councils across the country that are making attempts to save money and the environment by minimising the amount of wasted electricity due to excessive street lighting. There are also health benefits to be considered due to the reduced light pollution http://www.physics.fau.edu/observatory/lightpol-health.html I am aware that Birmingham City council are in the process of installing more efficient and cost effective LED street lighting around the ******* area but until such time would it be possible to address the immediate problem in the same way as is being seen by other district councils?

I have attached two aerial photographs and marked out in black the boundaries of my dwelling and rear garden with an estimated radius’s of ground covered by the light from the street lighting. I have also included photographs take at night to show the impact of obtrusive lighting over my garden.

I would be most grateful for a visit to be arranged so that we may go over a possible resolve to the nuisance caused by this lighting.

Yours Faithfully

This was sent the 6th of May 2011

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Find out who your local Councillor is, and forward your complaint direct to them. It pains me to admit, but I work for a local authority, in my experience, complaints that come via a Councillor tend to get resolved in double quick time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your MP is the one to turn to if the council ignore you. Let the council know that you have passed the details/complaint onto your MP and attitudes change.

Depends on the MP in question, now my MP is a lump of wood :D, i wrote to my MP 12 month ago about the BST +1 proposal , and his reply was he was supporting BST +1 as the sun would be out for an extra hour, and that would benefit his constituents :(.

And that lot run are country, god help us all :).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

had exactly the same problem, issue resolved via contractors visiting and covering my side of light with....... black tape! did the trick, garden much darker and im really happy. Took few letters to council and agency, though listened in end.

my situation was live in area that is managed by third party agency, though same principle would apply, as asking to cover in tape - its cheap (minimal cost) and very effective. To be honest even lady from council suggested i get long ladder and do job myself - was more than happy to if had one to hand! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi There,

We have a council light with a vertical all round shade directly near our garden. Our councillor said to take a 12 bore to it... However what I did was to gaffer tape two legths of batten together along with a dog legs paintbrush. Half a tin of hammerite later and we have a dark garden....

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Councils generally have a Complaints system.

Gather your emails together and submit them.

If they whitewash your complaint, there is the Local Government Ombudsman and Councils don't like them especially if you write to the local press ragarding your present problem and your intentions.

Good Luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a similar situation with streetlights and my garden. I live in a small cul-de-sac with just a few houses and 7 streetlights!

Does anyone know where we stand legally if we were to take to the paintbrush and paint method to just paint out the sides of the lenses, leaving the light to shine straight down?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a similar situation with streetlights and my garden. I live in a small cul-de-sac with just a few houses and 7 streetlights!

Does anyone know where we stand legally if we were to take to the paintbrush and paint method to just paint out the sides of the lenses, leaving the light to shine straight down?

Open to a charge if criminal damage if caught i think

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi kai,

Yes, I thought that might be the case. It just seems such hard work to get something done which in reality is easy to do, cheap tp impliment and inconveniences no-one. So frustrating!! :):(

Hi spaceboy,

That could be the answer so I might give that a try. At least I know all my neighbours are on my side, so no problems there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got ignored the first time I asked to have shades fitted to the carpark lights that light up my flat. Politely chased it up, contractor did nothing (but the email had the email address of the council lighting engineer cc'd). Emailed lighting engineer and next day got 2 of them fixed. Decided to ask for the final one to be covered a year later, bit of being ignored, email to lighting engineer, light fixed..... Although my council is short of cash, they seem happy to help if prodded. I played the light in my bedroom card and light trespass card.

Keep on politely poking, sometimes things get lost or ignored for no apparent reason and then the right person gets asked and magic happens.

Best of luck

PEterW

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.