I make no apology for the length of this blog. At the end of it I trust you will be as frustrated as I am in getting Biggleswade Town Council to sort this out.
Planning Application MB/01/00869, which submitted by the then Bedfordshire County Council on behalf of Biggleswade Town Council, was approved in December 2001. It included the construction of a footway / cycleway and associated lighting.
At the time there was concern about the amenity of neighbouring properties.
“There have been a large number of objections from people who back onto this recreation ground. Many of the objections relate to the provision of the lighting. Some people have claimed that the lighting will attract youths to congregate in the area after dark. The Architectural Liaison Officer from Bedfordshire Police has stated that lighting routes is advisable from a community safety perspective, although if there is a concern about youths gathering then the lights should be extinguished at an appropriate time.
The lighting is required for school children coming and going to school during the winter, on the basis that some children may be in school, after normal hours, for outside activities and clubs. The proposed lighting will be fitted with timers which can be set to switch on and off at certain times. In order that the lighting is only switched on when required by school children, a condition will be attached restricting the times during which the lights may be on. This will ensure that there will be no light pollution from the columns closest to residential properties during the late evening and night time hours.,”
One of the conditions of the approval was:
“The lighting hereby permitted shall at no time be switched on between the hours of 8.00 pm to 7.00 am”
In May 2010 one of my neighbours, mentioned that for some time they had been trying to get the Council to do something about the light that was at the end of their garden, as it was on all night.
At that time I was not aware of the condition that applied to the timing of the lighting. After some research I asked Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC), Planning if the condition had been changed. In June 2010 I received a response from Planning Enforcement:
“The condition has not been changed. The 6m lighting columns are supposed to be on a timer switch so it may be that there is a problem with the timer unit. I will look into it as the condition needs to be complied with.”
I passed this information onto the Town Clerk of Biggleswade Town Council and on 26th June he told me:
“I am aware of the situation with the lights; I have spoken to the planning people and also the lighting people. I am hopeful that the lights will be rectified any day.”
On the 1st July Planning Enforcement informed me:
“Following your earlier email regarding the lights, I have contacted the Town Council who have assured me that they will get the timing switches repaired.”
On the 7th July I advised Planning Enforcement:
“The lights were still on after 8pm Tuesday night 6th July until first light on Wednesday morning 7th July, today.”
On the 14th July I wrote to them again:
“The lights are still on all night.”
On Thursday 15th July, Planning Enforcement advised me:
“I have been assured that the lights will be disconnected tomorrow.
Please can you confirm to me on Monday that the lights are no longer illuminated.”
The lights were switched off on Friday 15th July 2010.
29th September 2010, here we go again.
Email to Planning Enforcement:
“Since the lights went off in July they have not come back on again even when it was dark within the permitted times.
Yesterday there were two chaps in high vis clothes and hard white hats over Kitelands looking at the lights. They appeared to be Highways people from Amey.
Last night the lights came on when it was dark and stayed on all night.
I would appreciate if you could get the situation regularised again.”
7th October a response:
“Regarding the lights at Kitelands recreation ground, I have reported this matter to the Town Council, tel no. 01767 313134, who will get the lights changed back to the permitted times. They were not aware that the times had changed, they know that this matter is urgent, but please let me know, or contact the Town Council direct, if the lights remain on at night.”
I responded the same day:
The times were part of planning consent MB/01/00869 (19th December 2001), which was a planning application made on behalf of Biggleswade Town Council.
They are fully aware of the times and have been the same since the permission was granted to them. In June / July, after three weeks of trying to get them to rectify the situation, they just turned them off. Now they have just turned them back on again.
On Sunday 10th October I sent this email to Planning Enforcement:
“Because the lights are back on all night, every night, this weekend the drinkers returned. They sit under the lights drinking and shouting until the early hours.
The cans and rubbish and broken glass they leave behind is usually cleared up by dog walkers and parents / grandparents as it has been this morning. This problem is regularly reported to Biggleswade Town Council who say they will inform the Police.
When the Planning Permission was granted, the Police asked for restrictions on the times the lights were in use.
I would be grateful if you could get this resolved quickly.”
On 11th October Planning Enforcement responded:
“I have again contacted the Town Council and forwarded your e-mail (but not your contact details and name). The Town Clerk is to contact Amey again to get this matter sorted out. They have been reminded of the hours permitted by the planning permission.”
On the 13th October, Planning Enforcement forwarded me an email from the Town Clerk of Biggleswade Town Council:
I have spoken with Andy Clark at Amey and asked that the lights at Kitelands are turned off.
It would appear that the time clock is not functioning and no replacement can be obtained.
Amey are currently looking at other ways, too include costs in which the lights can be timed and until a solution can be found the lights will remain off.
Please find the telephone number of Andy Clark should you require confirmation of their actions.
On the 18th & 21st October I informed Planning Enforcement that the light were still on all night.
The lights did not come on, on the night of Friday 22nd October.
On the 16th November I received an email from Planning Enforcement:
Following your recent correspondence to us regarding the lights I have forwarded you an email I have received from the Town Council. The email explains that the lights will be on for a 24 hr period as new timers are to be installed so please be aware this will happen sometime this week. Hopefully the situation will finally be rectified.
Town Council email –
In relation to the problems that we have been encountering with the lights at Kitelands in relation to timers etc, I can advise that new timers are being installed on all lights at some point this week.
The chips that operate the timers when installed will take one full 24hr cycle to establish when dusk and daylight fall and will then set themselves to go off pm and come back on am. During the initial 24hr cycle the lights will remain on for the 24hrs so please accept this as advanced notice.
I am hopeful that after the initial 24hrs the lights will function as they should.
19th November, email to Planning Enforcement:
Hello Sam it's me again !!
Amey were working on the lights at Tuesday lunchtime.
Tuesday night into Wednesday morning the lights were on all of the time, as expected.
Wednesday and Thursday nights all of the lights came on at approximately 1615.
Three of the lights, (Mead End entrance, School Gates and by the Play Equipment), on both nights, went off between 23.15 and 23.30. The fourth light goes off at thirty minutes past midnight. All of the lights are back on again at approximately 5.15 in the morning and go off when it gets light.
As you, I and Biggleswade Town Council (BTC) know the planning permission says:
The lighting hereby permitted shall at no time be switched on between the hours of 8.00 pm to 7.00 am.
I wish you luck in trying to get BTC to comply.
28th November, another email to Planning Enforcement :
Can you give me an update please as the lights are still on at the same times as per my email of over a week ago.
30th November, email from Planning Enforcement:
I have contacted the Town Council yet again about the timing of the lights and asked that someone check them. There is obviously a problem with the timers again.
3rd December 2010, email to Planning Enforcement:
It was on 18th June 2010 that you confirmed to me that the lights were in breach of the planning permission and on 30th June I exchanged emails with BTC Town Clerk who said he was aware of the situation. Eventually on 15th July 2010 the lights were completely turned off.
On 29th September 2010 the lights were turned back on again without any changes to the timing, so they were on all night. In your absence on 7th October the BTC Town Clerk said he was unaware the timings had changed and would deal with the matter urgently. It was not until 22nd October that the lights were turned off again.
On the 16th November 2010 the lights were turned on again, apparently with new timers, and now three go off at approximately 11.30pm and the other at half past midnight and all come back on at approximately 5am and all go off when it gets light.
Quite frankly I think BTC are just thumbing their nose at you. Would you accept this sort of messing about from anyone else who was in breach of Planning Permission. I would have thought by now some sort of legal enforcement would have been threatened.
6th December, email from Planning Enforcement:
“The Town Council have been given 7 days (from today) to rectify the situation otherwise we will be serving a Breach of Condition Notice formerly requiring them to comply with the condition.”
11th December, email to Planning Enforcement:
On Friday morning, 10th December the Amey men were back.
It appears that they have switched the lights off again, as they did not come on Friday night, Saturday morning or Saturday night.
How long do you give it before they are turned back on?
Don't close your file.
