Bats block plans for anti-crime lights in park

A council said it needed to complete a £15,000 bat survey before it could install lighting in a park.

Stevenage Borough Council agreed to consider putting lights in Fairlands Valley Park after 1,300 people signed a petition arguing it could deter crime.

A council meeting heard over the last five years, 191 crimes had been committed with 33 of those taking place in the dark, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

However, after the park’s bat population was identified as being of “county importance”, it was concluded that a full survey of the animals would be needed before lighting could be added.

At the meeting on Wednesday, 16 October, cabinet member for the environment, councillor Simon Speller, told his colleagues the cost of the survey would be £15,000.

He said: “There are at least eight species of bats in the woods at Fairlands Valley Park and that provides us with a massive environmental and ecological challenge. It is illegal to disturb bat habitats if they are light sensitive.”

Following the survey, a lighting consultant would have to be engaged by the council, with further funding also potentially necessary.

Speller explained to the meeting that there was "no legal duty to provide lighting in parks" but acknowledged it can be needed on safety grounds.

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