Last year AIDA received the welcome news from the Surf Coast Shire council that it would develop a shire- wide lighting policy and associated guidelines in line with the lighting policies developed by other councils across Australia.
We are now pleased to report that the lighting policy and guidelines were passed by council at their October meeting this year. The resolution was
unanimously supported. The media release, put out by Libby Stapleton, acknowledges the work AIDA put into advising council about the importance of preservation of the night sky both for the environment and for human wellbeing. The council minutes relating to the policy can be accessed here
The principles of the policy can be summarised as follows:
- creates a safer night-time environment for the community
- improves the look and the feel of the townships within the shire
- makes better use of open space
- consists of assets that can be managed over their lifetime
- embraces council’s commitment to environmental sustainability and a zero net emissions
These principles in turn are underpinned by the five principles of good lighting design as outlined
by Dark Sky International. These can be summarised as: lighting should have a clear purpose, it should be directed to only where it is needed, it should be no brighter than necessary, and it should be warm- coloured where possible.
Perhaps the most impressive part of the lighting policy is the specific reference to AIDA’s bid to get dark sky accreditation as a dark sky community. Also, there is a definite statement that existing lighting will be replaced upon end of life with Dark Skies appropriate lighting. This is great news for us as a community, and paves the way for our successful accreditation.
AIDA is appreciative of the support given by the council , and we now look forward to proceeding with our application.
Frieda Wachsmann