Nuisance provisions of the Public Health etc (Scotland) Act 2008: guidance

SECTION 9 - ADVERTISING LIGHTS

BEST PRACTICE GUIDANCE ON COMMERICAL LIGHTING

Requirements

Illuminated advertisements are subject to planning approval and therefore there are options to control potential light nuisance at this stage. Where fluorescent lamps are used there is rarely any light trespass, glare or light pollution problems. This is not necessarily so for tungsten halogen floodlights and the lights must be positioned on site to minimise light trespass and glare.

Design Characteristics

Within remote rural areas, the lighting associated with hotels, public houses and petrol filling stations may have a significant impact. Many modern petrol filling stations have carefully designed promotional lighting schemes with full horizontal cut-off and white light sources, but elsewhere lighting associated with commercial advertising is often of a poor standard.

Controls

The ILE Guidance Notes recommend appropriate levels of light for lighting both buildings and signs. A wide range of lamps and luminaires is available for promotional lighting and most are sold in DIY centres, although many are out of keeping with their immediate surroundings. One common example is the use of tubular fluorescent lamps that tend to be dominant and intrusive within the overall scale of the typical village street.

Flicker can be significant problem with some advertising lights.