Church Stretton wins concessions in street lights trial

Lamps on street corners are set to be excluded from a pioneering project to turn off lights in a south Shropshire town during the early hours of the morning.

Church Stretton Town Council has provisionally agreed to keep streetlights on at junctions in the Battlefield Estate a bid to ease residents' crime and safety fears.

Mayor Bob Welch said the move came following a meeting with concerned residents in Church Stretton, which is one of three county locations trialling Shropshire Council's scheme to switch off street lights between midnight and 5.30am.

Mr Welch said: "Some of the elderly residents, particularly, had some concerns, but the residents we have met with are now broadly content.

"We are suggesting we keep the lights on at the junctions of the roads and we are liaising with the police about providing householders with more information about home security.

"Now we are trying to consult wider to test out what the residents as a whole want as we move towards making a final decision on June 21."

The street lighting pilot scheme, which will also see LED lamps being fitted on some Church Stretton streets, is part of Shropshire Council's plan to cut its carbon emissions by 35 per cent by 2014.