All-night stadium lights hit the news...

[Ships and Stars]

Article on all-night lights at Brighton & Hove stadium drawing ire of locals. Main emphasis in article is on disturbing local humans and wildlife behaviour patterns, though stars get a brief mention.

I couldn't imagine the frustration of living near this for astronomy. Who designs this and thinks great, let's leave the lights on? Similar problems here, but on a much smaller scale (though the lights are much closer as well!)

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/feb/02/brighton-stadium-put-that-light-out-plea-all-night-glow

 

 

 

 

[Carbon Brush]

I can only think of one positive in this.

There are plenty of complaints. Not just the amateur astronomy community.

The problems caused by light pollution are becoming known to many.

Surely grass requires a daily light/dark cycle for proper growth? Any biology experts out there?

[laser_jock99]

Petition signed.

[DaveS]

Petition signed.

[teoria_del_big_bang]

Signed Petition, I hope it has an effect but I will not hold my breath, authorities still seem to ignore light pollution as a concern.

Steve

[Stargazer33]

Signed.

Brighton & Hove Albion also have a massive training ground built 10 - 12 miles away on the edge of a village called Lancing. The development, which is about to have a large extension is built on a flood plain and right up to the back gardens of dozens of homes.

The training grounds floodlights illuminate the sky for miles around. Since the development, the gardens of the homes have started flooding; which they have never done before. The council in there wisdom are also in the process of agreeing to a development of 600 new dwellings and an IKEA store on another part of the flood plain!

[Ships and Stars]

17 minutes ago, Stargazer33 said:

Signed.

Brighton & Hove Albion also have a massive training ground built 10 - 12 miles away on the edge of a village called Lancing. The development, which is about to have a large extension is built on a flood plain and right up to the back gardens of dozens of homes.

The training grounds floodlights illuminate the sky for miles around. Since the development, the gardens of the homes have started flooding; which they have never done before. The council in there wisdom are also in the process of agreeing to a development of 600 new dwellings and an IKEA store on another part of the flood plain!

When York flooded a few years back, I saw where they compared a medieval map of York to a modern map showing the flooded areas. The entire medieval part was dry! (or at least not submerged).

Just takes that one in 50 or (25) year storm to expose weaknesses in planning, esp flooding. 

External lighting is my nemesis, I've really had a lot of problems with local businesses by me who only have limited hours and nothing inside to pinch! None of their lights have shields on them.

Ah well, at least dark sky sites are too terribly far away...

[scarp15]

That is horrendous, Caroline Lucus will be the neighbouring MP, utterly shocking all in the name of supposedly maintaining football turf retention, barking. Petition signed.

[Greymouser]

14 minutes ago, scarp15 said:

That is horrendous, Caroline Lucus will be the neighbouring MP

Signed, but also perhaps a letter to Ms. Lucas too.  How to contact her.

 

[johngm]

Im Sorry if i am getting political here, but we are being constantly told by both local and national politicians, about cutting down on our usage of electricity and gas, and we are even being penalised by so called green taxes. Its not only Brighton football club, go around most towns and city centres at night and see how many commercial premises leave there lights on all night. It seems to me, we are living in a hypocritical society. One rule for you and I, another for businesses. Whatever happened to leading by example ?. Time for new legislation me thinks. You couldn't make this up.

John 

[wxsatuser]

Even lowly county league sides have now got lights on almost every night.

Here is the one near me that basically stopped me doing anything until after 10pm most nights.
Added to this when streetlights were upgraded they added more of them and the school near us is lit up
most of the night.

 

[JamesF]

There's also the point that the light which is lighting up the countryside isn't actually making the grass grow at all, because it's not pointing at the grass.

I can't help wondering as well... I know the article says they have undersoil heating and the last time I learnt anything about plant biology was probably forty years ago, but doesn't the Krebs Cycle cease to function below about 5C?  Which would mean they'd potentially need to pour huge amounts of heat into the soil to maintain a temperature at which the grass would grow.  Or I could be completely wrong.

James

[Ships and Stars]

51 minutes ago, johngm said:

Its not only Brighton football club, go around most towns and city centres at night and see how many commercial premises leave there lights on all night. It seems to me, we are living in a hypocritical society. One rule for you and I, another for businesses. Whatever happened to leading by example ?. Time for new legislation me thinks. You couldn't make this up.

John 

Well said, the types of new lighting being installed without shields, too high power (cheap but incredibly powerful LEDs) and left on all night is prolific and getting worse. 

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

Absolutely mad. As previously mentioned, energy saving is constantly drummed into us by by various agencies, but then we have situations like this. Businesses and local authorities spending a mint and sucking up the juice unnecessarily.

Where I live, along the main road is lit up almost like daylight with LEDs for miles and the estate is the same. Accidents still happen and crime continues. It's irksome we're paying for it all...

 

 

[Hertford Stargazer]

They must be in breech of the 'Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005' by causing light trespass which is a nuisance and or being prejudicial to health. As far as I can remember sports facilities are not exempt from the act and should be dealt with by the local council.

It brings back memories of when a local hospital near me was rebuilt. They spent thousands installing blue fluorescent tubes around the top of the entire building. All the locals were bathed in blue light throughout each night. Naturally people weren't very happy and complained. Eventually the lights were switched off permanently. 

[happy-kat]

Thank you for the act name I'll go look it up.

[Barry-W-Fenner]

Interesting thread.

We are some way behind here in Rochester and have not had the LED conversion carried out yet. I have inquired with the local Council to be told it is due to be done "some time in the next couple of years" Where I live I still have a large amount of yellow sky glow from the old lamps and from Rochester town.  Neighboring towns have had the LED conversion and the LP seems to have improved to my eye. The large yellow bulbs have been replaced with small LED type which does seem to be directing the light to the ground. My parents live a couple of miles away under a different Council and they have had the LED conversion, The sky has less LP where they are.

I personally would like this conversion sooner rather than later. However I dont think that all the lights should be on at night. After peak hours maybe the Council could consider every other Light being switched off to save Money as well as reduce carbon and LP??

 

Baz

Edited February 3, 2020 by Barry-W-Fenner

[Davey-T]

Got a mention on BBC Radio 2 Jeremy Vine, this morning so word is spreading.

Dave

[happy-kat]

I've listened it was a good very reasonable mention

[Aramcheck]

12 hours ago, Barry-W-Fenner said:

However I dont think that all the lights should be on at night. After peak hours maybe the Council could consider every other Light being switched off to save Money as well as reduce carbon and LP??

In Urban areas there are also options to dim lights using a Central Management System & Lorawan, but the current BS-EN13201 specification only considers varying light levels on main roads (according to traffic rate) & not residential areas.

Floodlight football pitches are one of the "artificial light nuisances" under the Environment Protection Act 1990:-

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/artificial-light-nuisances-how-councils-deal-with-complaints

(Sadly streetlights are exempt)

Thanks @Ships and Stars for this thread!

Ivor

PS: BTW Our local council gets far more complaints about noise & trees than they do nuisance lighting...

[JamesF]

Someone should start a rumour that the real reason for the lighting is that the club is supplementing its income with a cannabis farm

James

[Saganite]

Petition signed.

[happy-kat]

The Jeremy Vine show  1:30 today 3rd Feb

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000dxw2

And five live today but not sure of time.

Hopefully there will be an update soon. We either take the impact of our actions on the environment seriously, which we need, or we die out quicker.

[happy-kat]

What would really give the petition 'listen' weight would be the football club's supporter en mass signing it, that's the club's bread and butter.

[happy-kat]

Still more signatures, hopefully they'll be a positive update soon