Residents living in Kent County Council in UK have been discontent with the glare and overtly bright new LED streetlights, according to a report by Kent and Sussex Courier.

The new streetlights has been compared to locals as to living in a football pitch, under constant spot lights. Some have even put up cardboard on their windows to block out the harsh white lights.

Some residents complained the GBP 40 million (US $57.13 million) LED streetlights installations were carried out in a rush without thorough consultation.

"The work is being done without warning or consultation," said Nicholas Newell, who lives in Cranbrook. "White LEDs of the type proposed give a bleak, unforgiving light – some call it the 'zombie treatment' – and have aroused opposition almost everywhere they've been introduced."

The GBP 40 million streetlight project that is being installed by Boyuges, a lighting installer involved in replacing Paris public lighting system, is being partly funded by a GBP 22 million interest-free loan from SALIX, a government organization, funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change. City authorities estimate the project will pay itself within eight years.

The county plans to convert 118,000 streetlights in the region to LEDs throughout four phases by May 17, 2017, which is expected to help save up GBP 5.2 million annually once installed.

The county spends over GBP 9 million per year to operate and maintain the 118,000 streetlights, and about 25,000 signs and bollards.

Previously, the county had switched off lights in certain residential areas and minor roads at night to save about GBP 1 million annually, but by substituting traditional sodium lights with LED’s could cut costs by 60%, said county authorities.

The LEDs will be managed centrally making it easier to identify faults, dim lights and control timing.

Still, the county streetlight upgrade has attracted sharp criticism from residents. Some noted the streetlight consultations made by the county only took into account the streetlight brightness and hours turned on, and paid no attention to the effect of the streetlight color or glare.

Other residents expressed concerns that the streetlight installation was made in haste. "LED streetlights are in their infancy,” said Newell. “New LEDs in the pipeline could well be more harmonious, and although they will not initially be as economical as the white, no doubt they will become so before long. It would make more sense for the county to wait."
Last week the Kent County Council announced it will be returning to all-night lighting after current streetlights were upgraded to LEDs.

In the council’s 10-week consultation conducted last autumn, 63% out of 3,700 respondents said they preferred all-night lighting, while 37% said they preferred part-night lighting at the current level. The council also stated some areas wanted to alter the pattern of the lighting levels, and asked residents to submit related inquiries to .relevant Joint Transportation Board (JTB).