New street light installed outside window

who_me

Are there any rules governing how close a street light can be to an apartment window? When I went to work yesterday there were ESB guys arriving outside, when I got home there was a pole erected about 1m in front of my living room window and the lamp (when installed) at the same height as the window.

It's a little annoying as there had been another street-light there a few years back, but offset slightly to be between the bedroom and living room windows. This one is in front of the window. It's partially hidden behind a 'column' of the window, but very visible. IIRC, the old street pole was right up against the building wall too, whereas the new one is at the outside of the footpath, thus making it a lot more visible.

On the 'bright' side, I'll save a fortune in light bulbs with a street-light blazing in the living room window every night...

Paulw

Talk to your local council. They are responsible for installation and maintenance of public lights.

who_me

Paulw wrote: »

Talk to your local council. They are responsible for installation and maintenance of public lights.

Thanks. I'd much rather having talked to them before the pole was put up. I'd feel a bit of an ass asking them to do something about it now, just for the sake of moving it 1 - 2 metres.

Victor

Buy some curtains!

Potentially they could add a plate that somewhat obstructs the light between the lamp and your window, but allows the street to remain lit.

the_syco

Victor wrote: »

Buy some curtains!

Get a pair of blackout curtains. My room would still be fairly dark at 14:00 on a summers day (great when I've a hangover).

fasttalkerchat

A similar thing happened a family member. Another neighbour broke the light and it was repaired... he broke it again and it was repaired.
They could do that but couldn't move it or shield the light direction!

who_me

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

A similar thing happened a family member. Another neighbour broke the light and it was repaired... he broke it again and it was repaired.
They could do that but couldn't move it or shield the light direction!

Bump!

Ok, they finally installed the lamp on the pole a couple of days ago, and it's BRIGHT. In its new location it's shining right onto the bed in one bedroom, and is shining like a spotlight onto the dining table and couch in the main room.

I don't mind having to buy black-out curtains for the bedroom, but I'd hate having to use black-out curtains in the main room. The whole reason I bought the place was because it has a nice view (as city apartments go), I don't want to have to keep the curtains permanently closed while the streetlights are on.

I thought about asking if they could if they could install some kind of shield behind the light so it's not shining right into the window (I read elsewhere they can be receptive to such complaints) - I'd even offer to pay! - but the above post doesn't offer much hope.

Paulw

who_me wrote: »

I thought about asking if they could if they could install some kind of shield behind the light so it's not shining right into the window (I read elsewhere they can be receptive to such complaints) - I'd even offer to pay! - but the above post doesn't offer much hope.

Have you talked to the council or local authority???

murphaph

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

A similar thing happened a family member. Another neighbour broke the light and it was repaired... he broke it again and it was repaired.
They could do that but couldn't move it or shield the light direction!

...hmmm, one could say the same about your family member's neighbour!

fasttalkerchat

murphaph wrote: »

...hmmm, one could say the same about your family member's neighbour!

Ah he's mental! Nice quiet fella as long as you don't get on his wrong side. I certainly wouldn't recommend breaking it yourself, especially after openly complaining about it. But their response just shows how little they care about what residents say.

who_me

Paulw wrote: »

Have you talked to the council or local authority???

Eh, no.

If I'd known about it before the pole went up, I certainly would have requested the pole be installed at its previous (less intrustive) location; but once the pole went up I felt like I'd be a whiny "NIMBY" complaining about it.

Now that the lamp's installed and I have a big spotlight shining into my living room & 1 bedroom, I've realised how big an impact it has.

I'll contact them now, I believe it's the traffic division handles street-light inquiries. I just wanted to know if they're likely to be receptive, or laugh down the line at me!

TwoShedsJackson

The council can be surprisingly helpful on these things, so give them a try. Someone will probably have to come around to check out the impact of the light on your living area at night, but if it is as bad as you say it is they may be receptive.