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BAA electronic bulletin No. 00461 http://www.britastro.org/

Dear Colleague

The Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS) and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) are hosting a one day conference on January 22nd at De Montfort University, Leicester, UK. We hope that you will be interested in attending (for which there is no charge).

The aim of the conference is to bring together organisations with an interest in light pollution and its effects. We can discuss the nature of the existing problems and explore a way forward. We believe the outcome of the meeting could be very beneficial to all concerned; there is a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise available on this subject but so far it has perhaps lacked a cohesive approach in influencing Government. We would very much welcome your participation in this event. We have also invited other interested bodies.

Our two organisations feel the most pressing and immediate objective is to urge the Government to fulfil its promise to control light pollution at the planning stage. The CfDS and CPRE gave evidence at the 2003 Science & Technology Select Committee report on Light Pollution and Astronomy. As a result of this report the Government accepted the need to control artificial lighting, and it became subject to the law of statutory nuisance.

The Government also gave an undertaking to control light via an annex to Planning Policy Statement 23 – PPS23. However this has yet to bepublished despite correspondence and indeed Questions in the House of Commons. Of course the general election is pending and an incoming administration might not feel obliged to implement its predecessor’s promises, adding urgency to our call for action.

We are not alone in being frustrated at the lack of progress in the implementation of PPS23. The recently published Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution “Report on Artificial Light in the Environment” specifically recommended not only that the lighting annex
to PPS23 be implemented.

We are sure this will prove to be a very fruitful event; we have much to learn and share with one another. We do hope very much that you will be able to attend. Please reply to Martin Morgan-Taylor (mart@dmu.ac.uk) if you are able to attend, and you will be sent full joining
instructions.

Bob Mizon
Co-ordinator
The Campaign for Dark Skies