Highways chiefs in Staffordshire have pledged not to introduce a blanket night time switch off of street lighting following a consultation with residents.
The review also revealed that £8m could be saved over the next 16 years by installing hi tech dimming equipment in the columns which will bring lighting to the appropriate level for its use.
Eighty-two per cent of those consulted either agreed or did not oppose proposals to dim street lights from late evening to early morning.
County Councillor Maryon said: “We have carried out a detailed review of our entire street lighting operation, exploring the latest in technology, energy conservation and service delivery.
"After examining the results of this study we have decided not to introduce a blanket night time switch off of street lighting - but we will be working with communities, as part of the localism agenda and giving them the choice of what happens with street lighting in their area.
“We will, however, look to upgrade our columns by either fitting or retro fitting special dimming technology which will save £8 million over the next 16 years.
"The robust contract that the county council initially put in place in 2003 has allowed us to do this. By installing excellent quality lighting initially we are now able to simply upgrade the electronics rather than having to invest in brand new equipment.
“In the past we have over lit areas because the technology was not available for us to control the level of light. This created light pollution that was unnecessary"
Since 2003 a total of 30,000 new street lights have been installed across Staffordshire. Under the plans, almost half of these would be retro fitted with the specialist technology.
A further 27,000 street lights would be replaced before 2028 the majority of which would be upgraded with the new equipment.
The plans would see £3.67 million saved due a reduction in energy costs and £4.45 million on maintenance costs.
