Dark Skies Friendly village lights the way for more communities to follow suit - North York Moors National Park Authority
Communities across the North York Moors can now gain recognition for the work they do to protect and enhance the quality of the night sky above their neighbourhood by meeting new standards launched by the National Park in the wake of Hawnby becoming its first Dark Skies Friendly Village.
The new community-focused extension to the Dark Skies Friendly scheme, first launched by the North York Moors National Park in 2019, follows the completion of the pilot whole-village lighting project it worked on with Mexborough Estates at Hawnby near Helmsley.
The announcement comes midway through this year’s Dark Skies Festival which is happening across both the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales.
The Hawnby project has been part funded through section 106 payments which compensate for the impacts of major developments in the National Park. It involved converting over 100 lights on 30 properties within the village to ensure light is well targeted, at a suitable level and only used when needed.
The project’s completion means that Hawnby is one of the first villages in England to become dark skies friendly as a result of switching exterior lights on individual homes, properties and public spaces, including the village hall and the popular The Owl Inn, rather than focusing only on street lighting to minimise light pollution.
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Posted On: 19/02/2024