Proposal to install lighting at Tangier Green Play Area

Overview

Richmond Council is committed to supporting communities to make changes and upgrades in their local areas as part of our Corporate Plan. In line with this commitment, we are proposing an initiative suggested by a local resident to install lighting at Tangier Green Play Area. This proposal would allow children to stay active and use the play area after dark during the autumn and winter months.

What are we proposing?

The Council is proposing to install lights in the play area. These lights would be equipped with sensors to automatically turn on at sunset, ensuring the play area is well-lit after dark. 

We are proposing to use timers on the lights so the playground is lit in the early evening when young children would be using it. After this time, the lights will be switched off to discourage use of the playground at later times by others not for its intended prupose.

Why are we proposing this?

Our Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2024-2029 identifies a need to increase the range of active play, sports, and activities available to children. Lighting the play area will increase the hours it can be visited in winter. 

The proposal also supports our Richmond Moves campaign, which emphasises making physical activity a natural and accessible part of daily life. This initiative will create opportunities for inactive children to take small steps towards physical activity.

Other considerations

The Local Plan and Biodiversity Action Plan include aims and policies to reduce the impact of artifical light on nature and wildlife. Our proposal includes timers to limit the time during which the lights are in use. We carried out a Ground Level Tree Assessment which found that there is limited potential for bat roosts on this site, meaning the lighting will have limited impact on roosting bats in the area.

Have your say

Please give us your feedback using the Online Survey link below. If you need to request a paper questionnaire or any other format, please contact Parks@richmond.gov.uk or call 0208 891 1411 and ask for the Parks Team.

What happens next

All feedback we receive in response to this engagement will be carefully analysed and considered. If the Council decides to proceed with implementing the proposal, it will select a supplier that provides hybrid lighting that can be set to turn on/off automatically.