Protecting the Dark Night Skies on the Mendip Hills AONB

The Mendip Hills AONB Partnership has launched a new position statement to help protect the dark skies of the Mendip Hills. Our position statement coincides with the national publication of the All-Party Parliamentary Group document ‘Ten Dark Sky Policies for the Government’.

Starry skies are one of the most magical sights the Mendip Hills can offer. Light pollution limits people’s views of these skies and also disrupts the ecology of nocturnal animals. Light pollution is a common term referring to artificial light that shines where it is neither wanted nor needed.

Parts of the Mendip Hills AONB comprise the North Somerset and Mendip Special Area of Conservation for bats due to the nationally significant populations of Greater Horseshoe and Lesser Horseshoe bat which use the cave systems for breeding and hibernation, and use the surrounding countryside for foraging. Light pollution can delay or prevent bats from leaving their roosts and may cause them to abandon roosts altogether.

Artificial light can be a fatal attraction to insects, and some predators exploit this attraction to their advantage, resulting in declining insect populations and adverse impacts upon the food chain. Artificial light can also negatively affect bird species, causing them to miss ideal migration breeding periods.

The Mendip Hills AONB Partnership has produced a position statement on Dark Night Skies and Light Pollution; we encourage developers, land managers, farmers, householders, local authority decision makers, Parish Councils, architects and highway authorities to follow the principles of the document, to help conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area.

Judith Chubb-Whittle, AONB Landscape Planning Officer said, ‘Avoiding and minimising light pollution from development will not only help nature recover but also allow the simple pleasure of seeing the stars in the night skies, a really magical experience for all of us.’

The statement contains six proposals adopted by the AONB Partnership:

1. Ensuring external lighting shall only be erected or installed in, or within the setting of the National Landscape if it can be shown to be essential for security and safety, and only using the minimum quantity of lighting to achieve it;
2. Ensuring that external lighting should be designed, shielded, and installed to prevent upward, sideways, or outward spillage in accordance with up to date Institute of Lighting Professionals Guidance;
3. Ensuring the colour and intensity of lighting is appropriate for the wider setting;
4. Ensuring that external lighting avoids highlighting a structure or feature that would have an adverse visual impact on the surrounding landscape;
5. Utilising the most energy- and pollution-efficient equipment reasonably available.
6. Ensuring design and quantity of fenestration is carefully selected to minimise light glow and spillage.

The full position statement can be downloaded here Mendip Hills AONB Dark Night Skies and Light Pollution Position Statement (<1.0MB Download)

The All-Party Parliamentary Groups ‘Ten Dark Sky Policies for the Government’ can be viewed here (external link) Policy Plan — APPG for Dark Skies (appgdarkskies.co.uk)

To see the CPRE Night Blight map of the UK visit  https://www.nightblight.cpre.org.uk/