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Street Lighting

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General principles

Lighting equipment can have a major impact on the appearance of a street. It should form an integral part of the overall design concept from the outset, and not be superimposed onto the layout later.  

Lighting may not be appropriate in all locations or situations. We recommend that you hold discussions with the local Planning Authority and the Kent County Council (KCC) Street Lighting Department early in the design process. This is important where you’re aiming to have your lighting adopted, since it will need to meet current KCC technical requirements.  

This page summarises Kent County Council’s Street Lighting guidance, our full technical guidance can be found here:

Street Lighting – Kent Design Guide (V1.0)

Lighting design parameters

The fundamental purpose of street lighting is to enable safe movement and hazard perception for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and other road users. You should consult relevant lighting standards and industry guidance documents to ensure your proposed arrangement is compliant and appropriate for the road type. We recommended that you work with a qualified lighting consultant to ensure this. 

Lighting columns 

Wherever practicable, lighting columns must be sited at the back of footways or verges, no less than 0.8 metres from the carriageway edge. Under the Disability Act 2016, to prevent creating hazards for wheelchair users, people pushing prams, blind and partially–sighted people lighting columns should not reduce the available widths of footways.  

All road lighting must be located within the proposed highway boundary. If for any reason you feel this cannot be achieved, you must obtain approval from our Street Lighting and Agreements departments.  

“Wherever practicable, lighting columns must be sited at the back of footways or verges, no less than 0.8 metres from the carriageway edge”

Maintenance  

Where columns are erected in service strips or verges, all planting shall be kept clear to allow access for maintenance. Thought must be given to the location of street lights in relation to trees, so that conflict between the two doesn’t occur; you should also consider how lighting columns are placed in relation to other street furniture. We need to see that your scheme uses appropriate equipment, such as fold–down columns on footpaths, to enable us to take on maintenance.  

Technical assessment of the lighting design 

 Where your design includes street lighting, you’ll need to make a formal submission to KCC Street Lighting department for review, comment and approval. Your layout plan should accurately indicate lighting column positions, including distance from the kerb or carriageway edge, and provide details of the proposed column heights and lantern types  

 Your submission should contain, but not be limited to: 

  • Street lighting lux level calculations in Lighting Reality PDF report format showing tie–in with existing lighting if appropriate.  
  • Confirmed specifications for lighting columns, secondary isolators, any illuminated signs required at the site, and Central Management System CMS) – see our full technical guidance. 
  • Details of the lighting equipment service provider, development site location and a plan defining the extent of the adoptable area or the S278 limits and landscaping drawings.