Business park

In our municipality we have two business parks. Other cores also have businesses but are not business parks. The business parks are both designed differently. Not only light from public street lighting is visible in the public space, but also light from businesses. Light from inside or from the facade. And sometimes also from advertising lighting (on the facade or near the building).

All the light combined determines the image on the street. A brightly lit billboard is actually less readable in the evening. The light coming from a company is also sometimes visible from afar, which is unnecessary. Sometimes a company works 24/7, in which case light is always needed. Still, we can then also look at how the total amount of light can be reduced a bit.

Business park laws, regulations and labels

We are not obliged to provide lighting in the Netherlands. There are guidelines and quality marks, but no laws. The guideline is NPR13201-2018, which provides advice on the amount of lighting on streets, the distribution of light across the road, and the amount of light at a height of 1.5 meters. The Civil Code states that we Health road safety and that we must maintain our area (in this case, street lighting) properly, as befits a 'good householder'.

We also have the Safe Enterprise Hallmark (KVO). This is not a mandatory hallmark. With this hallmark, entrepreneurs, fire department, police and municipality work together on structural measures of which lighting is part. We have a hallmark on our business parks. For advertising, the guideline of the Dutch Lighting Foundation (NSVV) for the prevention of light pollution is decisive. This guideline prescribes the maximum amount of light allowed on a facade in an area. The CROW publication 'Advertising along roads' also gives advice on the application of illuminated advertising along roads.

Light and safety

Light is often mentioned in the same breath as safety. If there is no light then some people do not feel safe. It is a personal feeling. However, safety is determined by the amount of social control. If there is no social control then light gives false security.

It is also often said that light is necessary for camera surveillance. A good camera can make recordings without light. Often, light actually creates grainy recordings.

two photos of a track, one taken with infrared camera and one with camera with light — Photo: infrared camera on the left and a camera with light on the right.

Effect of light

Lighting up a building, putting up a bright billboard, having bright lights inside and so on can make the street seem dark. Sometimes we are also blinded by the light or the light attracts our attention so we don't pay attention to the road.

Photo: Meniststraat Dinxperlo. An illuminated commercial building. The light shines on the road, making it appear dark. The brightness of the light also makes the advertising illegible.

Illuminated premises

Sometimes businesses choose to illuminate their premises. This can add to the atmosphere of the area in the evening. Often not only the premises themselves are illuminated, but also the surrounding area or the road. Sometimes the lights are off at night, but there are also premises that are lit all night. From a sustainability, environmental and light pollution perspective, this can be done differently.

Photo: Spinnerij Aalten. On the right, a lit-up building that's visible from far away and makes the road look dark. On the left, a billboard that's hard to read.

Advertising

Light is increasingly being used in advertising applications. Think of illuminated company signs, illuminated facades, or light columns. It quickly becomes very noticeable. We are also seeing more and more LED displays. Think of the large displays along highways or at gas stations. These displays sometimes also have moving or flashing images.

Displays inside

Displays inside do not belong to the municipality, but they affect public spaces. For example, on the road or in homes.

Photo: Landstraat Aalten. Display in shop window. The light shines on the street, making it appear dark there. It also shines into homes.

This is how we do it from now on

We dim the public lights after 7 p.m., that is, the lights come on less brightly;
We are working with business owners and police to see where lights can be turned off at night;
The lighting we install gives good color and face recognition;
We are cautious about new LED displays/LCD screens and similar devices. In any case, they must never compromise traffic safety. In addition, the omgevingswet also plays omgevingswet role, stipulating that there must be no nuisance to the physical living environment. If it is permitted at a particular location, there must be no nuisance to the environment, including flora and fauna, and no flashing or moving (film) images may be displayed. We also set requirements in terms of colors, depending on the situation.
Guidance is the Dutch Foundation for Lighting Science (NSVV) guideline for the prevention of Light Nuisance and the CROW publication "Advertising along Roads. New future guidelines relevant to LED displays are also included.
We ask that displays in store windows/shops be restrained. In any case, they should not give light on the street, should be dimmed in the evening and turned off at night.
We do not adhere to the Safe Business Certification for public lighting. Our policy plan 'Light in the municipality of Aalten' is decisive;
Unnecessary light pollution we want to reduce or prevent;
Where there is reason to do so, we will engage with business owners to discuss whether the lighting of business owners can also be dimmed or even switched off at night. The goal is to raise awareness and to properly coordinate the lighting in public spaces of the municipality and the entrepreneurs themselves.