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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2560416 - F.I. Received Doc. - External Lighting Assessment EXTERNAL LIGHTING ASSESSMENT & LIGHTING MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR MULLANARRY ENVIRONMENTAL T/A JC ENVIRONMENTAL AT MULLANARY CARRICKMACROSS CO. MONAGHAN Prepared for Mullanarry Environmental trading as JC Environmental Prepared by Traynor Environmental Ltd Reference Number 25.574 TE Date of Issue 16th September 2026 Belturbet Business Park, Creeny, Belturbet, Co Cavan T: + 353 49 9522236 E: nevin@traynorenv.com www.traynorenvironmental.ie REC E I V E D : 1 6 / 0 9 / 2 0 2 6 Lighting Management Plan 2 This document is a Light Management Plan for the construction of a proposed development for Mullanarry Environmental trading as JC Environmental Issue Date Details Prepared by Checked/Approved by 1 16th September 2026 Final Angela Kelly Environmental Consultant Nevin Traynor Environmental Scientist Project Title: Lighting Management Plan Client: Mullanarry Environmental trading as JC Environmental Office Reference: 25.574 TE Status: Final Date: 16th September 2026 Technical Reviewer Signature Nevin Traynor BSc Environmental Scientist Date: 16th September 2026 Traynor Environmental Belturbet Business Park Creeny Belturbet Co. Cavan H14AY94 Tel: 049 9522236 Email: nevin@traynorenv.ie © This Report is the copyright of Traynor Environmental Ltd. Any unauthorised reproduction or usage by any person other than the addressee is strictly prohibited. REC E I V E D : 1 6 / 0 9 / 2 0 2 6 Lighting Management Plan 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION 3 1.1 Further Information Item 7 3 1.2 Scope of Assessment 3 2.0 SITE CONTEXT 4 3.0 PLANNING POLICY AND LIGHTING GUIDANCE 5 3.1 Monaghan County Development Plan 2025-2031 5 3.2 Institution of Lighting Professionals - GN01/26 5 3.3 I.S. EN 12464-2:2024 5 4.0 PROPOSED EXTERNAL LIGHTING STRATEGY 6 5.0 INDICATIVE LIGHTING LAYOUT 7 6.0 OBTRUSIVE LIGHT AND RESIDENTIAL AMENITY ASSESSMENT 8 6.1 No Calculated Lux Contours Claimed at this Stage 8 7.0 ECOLOGICAL PROTECTION 8 8.0 ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND OPERATING CONTROLS 8 9.0 INSTALLATION, COMMISSIONING AND VERIFICATION 9 10.0 CONCLUSIONS 9 REC E I V E D : 1 6 / 0 9 / 2 0 2 6 Lighting Management Plan 4 1.0 INTRODUCTION Traynor Environmental Ltd. has prepared this External Lighting Assessment and Lighting Management Plan on behalf of Mullanarry Environmental T/A JC Environmental in response to the Further Information request issued by Monaghan County Council for planning application 25/60416. 1.1 Further Information Item 7 Item 7 requires details of existing and/or proposed flood/security lighting and asks that the scheme accord with Section 8.39 and Policies LP1, LP2 and LP3 of the Monaghan County Development Plan 2025-2031 so that light pollution and impacts on residential amenity are controlled. The revised Further Information drawings now show the updated site layout, the proposed Debris Reception Building and the proposed biofilter/odour-control infrastructure. No external floodlighting or security-lighting schedule is shown on those drawings. This report therefore sets out the external-lighting strategy for the revised development layout. Any existing external luminaires that are retained shall be adjusted or replaced so that they comply with the same performance requirements. 1.2 Scope of Assessment  Review the site context and nearby sensitive receptors;  Set out the relevant development-plan policies and current lighting guidance;  Define a low-impact external-lighting strategy and luminaire performance specification;  Provide an indicative lighting-location plan and lighting schedule;  Specify obtrusive-light, ecological and energy-efficiency controls; and  Provide a commissioning and verification procedure suitable for planning compliance. The indicative external lighting plan has been prepared in response to Item 7 of the Further Information request and illustrates the proposed approach to external lighting across the development site. The plan identifies the general locations of the proposed lighting points and demonstrates how lighting will be provided where required for safe access, security and site operations. The lighting arrangement has been developed with regard to the requirements of Chapter 8 Lighting Section and Policies LP1, LP2 and LP3 of the Monaghan County Development Plan 2025–2031, with the aim of minimising unnecessary illumination, light spill and potential effects on surrounding residential amenity. The plan should be read in conjunction with the lighting schedule, performance specifications and lighting management measures set out in the following sections of this assessment. REC E I V E D : 1 6 / 0 9 / 2 0 2 6 Lighting Management Plan 5 2.0 SITE CONTEXT The application site is approximately 0.581 ha and is located at Mullanarry on the south-western outskirts of Carrickmacross. The revised planning layout identifies the existing site entrance and office, retained shed/storage areas, central operational yard and parking, the enclosed Debris Reception Building, the odour scrubber/covered tank infrastructure and the proposed biofilter unit. Residential properties occur close to the north/east, neighbouring gardens occur to the south, and open agricultural land, hedgerows and treelines adjoin the west and south. The proposed waste/debris handling shown in the project photographs will take place inside the enclosed Debris Reception Building. External lighting is therefore required principally for safe access, slow-moving vehicle manoeuvring, the entrance/office, the Debris Reception Building door threshold and loading apron, and occasional servicing of the tank/biofilter area. This limits the need for broad-area illumination and allows glare, spill light and upward light to be tightly controlled. Figure 1.0 (A). Revised planning site layout showing the current development arrangement (CMD Architects Drawing 21- 146 3.2FI_002.00; not to scale in this report). REC E I V E D : 1 6 / 0 9 / 2 0 2 6 Lighting Management Plan 6 3.0 PLANNING POLICY AND LIGHTING GUIDANCE 3.1 Monaghan County Development Plan 2025-2031 The lighting Section of Chapter 8 of the County Development Plan contains specific lighting policies. In summary, LP1 seeks control of lighting so that residential amenity and important habitats/species are protected; LP2 promotes energy-efficient lighting in new development; and LP3 requires only the amount of light necessary, avoidance of glare and upward emission, minimum environmental impact and protection of light-sensitive species such as bats. 3.2 Institution of Lighting Professionals - GN01/26 The current Institution of Lighting Professionals guidance, GN01/26 The Avoidance of Obtrusive Light, emphasises that lighting should be necessary, proportionate and controlled. It classifies environments from E0 (intrinsically dark) to E4 (high district brightness) and requires the more rigorous zone to be used where an installation is close to a boundary between lighting environments. Although the application site is within the Carrickmacross urban/suburban area, it directly adjoins open agricultural land and vegetated boundaries. For the purposes of controlling light spill at the site edge and nearby homes, the assessment therefore adopts the conservative E2 criteria. Table 3.1: Adopted Obtrusive-Light Criteria and Project Lighting Controls Parameter Adopted E2 criterion Project commitment Purpose Vertical illuminance at nearby windows 5 lx pre-curfew; 1 lx post- curfew Meet or better Residential amenity Upward light ratio (ULR) 2.5% maximum for E2 0% target from each luminaire Skyglow / LP3 Light above horizontal Avoid None permitted by design Glare and skyglow Curfew Local planning control; typically evening/night 22:00-07:00 unless permission requires earlier More stringent night control 3.3 I.S. EN 12464-2:2024 I.S. EN 12464-2:2024 is the current Irish standard for lighting of outdoor workplaces. The final installed scheme shall provide sufficient task lighting for access, slow-moving vehicles, loading/servicing and maintenance while avoiding unnecessary over-lighting. The design intent of this report is therefore to illuminate only the operational areas that require light, rather than the entire site. For the purposes of this assessment, and without implying a formal environmental-zone designation by the Planning Authority, the more conservative E2 limits have been adopted at sensitive site boundaries and residential receptors. Overall, the above policy and guidance establish the key principles that have informed the external lighting strategy for the proposed development. The lighting scheme has therefore been developed on the basis that external lighting should be limited to that which is necessary for the safe and effective operation of the site, while minimising light spill, glare, upward light and unnecessary illumination of surrounding areas. These principles are carried forward into the lighting design, luminaire specifications and management measures set out in the following sections of this report. REC E I V E D : 1 6 / 0 9 / 2 0 2 6 Lighting Management Plan 7 4.0 PROPOSED EXTERNAL LIGHTING STRATEGY No high-mast columns, pole-mounted floodlights or upward-facing architectural lighting are proposed. The scheme will use building-mounted, flat-glass or equivalent full-cut-off LED fittings with asymmetric optics so that light is directed onto the entrance, internal yard, Debris Reception Building threshold/loading apron and defined service areas, and away from adjoining homes, roads, fields, hedgerows and treelines.  LED colour temperature not exceeding 3000 K; luminaires adjacent to the southern/western vegetated boundaries should preferentially use 2700 K where practicable.  Maximum mounting height 4.0 m above local ground level.  Luminaires installed at 0° uplift or otherwise aimed so that no light is emitted above the horizontal plane.  Full shielding/visors or louvres where necessary to prevent direct view of the LED source from nearby dwellings and Mullanarry Road.  No lighting directed onto the western/southern treelines, neighbouring gardens or open fields; luminaires serving the Debris Reception Building and biofilter/OCU area shall be aimed inward toward the operational surface. All non-essential task lighting switched off outside approved operating hours. Security lighting outside operating hours activated only by PIR/motion detection with a short time-out, normally not exceeding five minutes. Lighting controls divided into zones so that only the part of the site in use is illuminated. Table 4.1 Proposed Lighting Schedule ID Location / function Type Max power CCT Mounting Control L1 Main entrance / access Shielded LED area light 20 W 3000 K 3.5 m Photocell/timeclock; PIR post-curfew L2 Retained office / visitor entrance Shielded LED bulkhead 12 W 3000 K 2.8 m PIR + local switch L3 Central yard / manoeuvring Asymmetric LED wall light 25 W 3000 K 4.0 m Timeclock / zoned switch L4 Debris Reception Building / loading apron Asymmetric LED wall light 30 W 3000 K 4.0 m Timeclock / zoned switch L5 Biofilter / OCU service area Fully shielded LED task light 20 W 2700-3000 K 3.0 m PIR / maintenance switch L6 South service / storage area Shielded LED wall light 20 W 3000 K 3.5 m Timeclock / PIR The wattages above are maximum design values rather than mandatory product ratings. Lower-output fittings shall be used where supplier photometric data demonstrates that the required task lighting can be achieved. L4 is intended only to illuminate the Debris Reception Building doorway/threshold and external loading apron; the waste- processing activity itself is to be internally lit within the enclosed building. Exact manufacturer/model selection may be finalised by the electrical contractor, provided the performance criteria in this report are met or bettered. REC E I V E D : 1 6 / 0 9 / 2 0 2 6 Lighting Management Plan 8 5.0 INDICATIVE LIGHTING LAYOUT Figure 5.1 overlays the proposed lighting strategy on the revised planning site layout. The positions are indicative and are intended to demonstrate the lighting approach required by the Further Information request. Minor positional adjustment is acceptable during detailed electrical design provided fittings remain on site-facing elevations, illumination is directed inward, and all obtrusive-light limits and dark-boundary controls are maintained. Figure 5.1 - Indicative proposed external-lighting layout over the revised planning site layout (not to scale). The indicative layout reflects the overall objective of providing external lighting only where it is required for safe access, vehicle movements, security and operational activities, while avoiding unnecessary illumination of the wider site. The proposed lighting points are concentrated around the entrance, office, central yard, Debris Reception Building, biofilter/OCU and southern service area, with luminaires to be shielded and directed towards the areas they are intended to serve. Particular attention will be given to controlling light spill towards nearby residential properties, adjoining roads, neighbouring gardens and the vegetated western and southern site boundaries. The potential effects of the proposed lighting on these sensitive receptors, together with the applicable obtrusive-light limits, are considered further in Section 6.0 below. REC E I V E D : 1 6 / 0 9 / 2 0 2 6 Lighting Management Plan 9 6.0 OBTRUSIVE LIGHT AND RESIDENTIAL AMENITY ASSESSMENT The principal sensitive receptors are the nearby residential properties and gardens, together with road users on Mullanarry Road and ecological receptors associated with treelines and hedgerows. The scheme is deliberately low-output and building-mounted so that light sources can be screened by building fabric and aimed into the operational yard. The proposed waste/debris-handling activities will take place inside the Debris Reception Building; external lighting at this location is limited to the access door, threshold and loading apron and is not intended to illuminate the internal process. Compliance will be assessed at the windows of the nearest residential premises and at relevant site boundaries. The design target is no more than 5 lx vertical illuminance at sensitive windows before the curfew and no more than 1 lx after the curfew, with no direct luminaire glare towards those receptors. These are conservative E2 criteria under ILP GN01/26. 6.1 No Calculated Lux Contours Claimed at this Stage A manufacturer-specific photometric file has not yet been selected and therefore this report does not present synthetic or assumed lux contours. Instead, the planning commitment is performance-based: the final luminaire selection and aiming shall demonstrate compliance with the limits in Section 3.2 before installation or at commissioning. 7.0 ECOLOGICAL PROTECTION The revised layout retains vegetated boundaries and adjoining agricultural land along the western and southern sides of the site. Even where no dedicated bat survey has identified a specific bat roost or commuting route, the scheme adopts a precautionary approach because LP3 specifically seeks protection of light-sensitive species.  No direct illumination of the western or southern treelines/hedgerows.  Warm-white LEDs only, with a maximum CCT of 3000 K and lower CCT preferred near vegetated boundaries.  No ultraviolet-emitting lamps and no decorative upward lighting.  PIR control for rarely used service areas so lighting is not left on continuously.  Any replacement or additional fitting close to a treeline must be shielded and aimed away from vegetation. 8.0 ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND OPERATING CONTROLS The scheme is based on LED luminaires with zoned controls, time clocks and presence detection. Lighting will not operate continuously simply because the site is occupied. Only areas actively required for safe access or work will be illuminated. This approach reduces energy consumption and avoids the gradual increase in background night-time brightness that can arise from permanently lit sites. Table 8.1: External Lighting Operating and Control Requirements Period Lighting mode Requirement Approved operating hours Task lighting only where required Zoned switching/time control; no unnecessary whole-site lighting 22:00-07:00 curfew Non-essential lighting off Only PIR security or necessary emergency/maintenance lighting PIR security activation Short duration Target <= 5 minutes per activation; fittings remain fully shielded Daylight hours Off Photocell/time control prevents operation when adequate daylight is available REC E I V E D : 1 6 / 0 9 / 2 0 2 6 Lighting Management Plan 10 9.0 INSTALLATION, COMMISSIONING AND VERIFICATION The electrical contractor shall commission the final installation after dark. The following checks shall be completed and recorded:  Confirm luminaires are installed horizontally or otherwise aimed so that emitted light remains below the horizontal;  Confirm no direct light source is visible from nearby residential windows where shielding can reasonably prevent it;  Record the luminaire manufacturer, model, wattage, CCT, mounting height and final aiming/orientation for each lighting point L1–L6.”  Measure vertical illuminance at the most exposed nearby residential windows or, where access is unavailable, at representative boundary points aligned with those windows;  Verify pre-curfew and post-curfew limits of 5 lx and 1 lx respectively at sensitive residential receptors;  Confirm no direct illumination of western/southern treelines, neighbouring gardens or adjoining open land, including from L4-L6 serving the southern/eastern operational areas;  Confirm timers, photocells and PIR time-outs are correctly set; and  Re-aim, dim or add shielding to any fitting that does not meet the requirements. A brief commissioning record should be retained on site and made available to Monaghan County Council if requested. 10.0 CONCLUSIONS The updated lighting scheme reflects the revised site layout, including the enclosed Debris Reception Building and the proposed biofilter/odour-control service area, and remains limited to low-output, building-mounted LED fittings with no high-mast floodlighting. The scheme adopts a conservative E2 obtrusive-light criterion because of the transition between suburban development and adjoining open land/vegetated boundaries. All luminaires will be 3000 K or warmer, fully shielded and directed below the horizontal plane. Non-essential lighting will be switched off after curfew; security lighting will be presence-controlled only. The scheme is designed to protect residential amenity, road users, adjoining vegetation and light-sensitive fauna while providing sufficient external illumination for safe access, vehicle manoeuvring, building thresholds/loading apron and occasional maintenance. Waste/debris-processing activities will be undertaken inside the enclosed Debris Reception Building and do not require broad external floodlighting. The proposed controls directly address Chapter 8 – Lighting and Policies LP1-LP3 of the Monaghan County Development Plan 2025-2031. Compliance with these commitments will be confirmed following installation through the commissioning and verification procedure set out in Section 9.0 REC E I V E D : 1 6 / 0 9 / 2 0 2 6