B&B can reopen after Robertsbridge rail crossing lights adjusted

Robertsbridge residents were outraged by the brightness of a new 40ft light erected as part of the modernisation of the rail crossing on Station Road.

But after pressure from the community, Network Rail spent hours amending the light and adding a timer on Sunday (February 21).

Some are still not completely satisfied but owner of The Ostrich Tony Robins said it is ‘better than it was’.

“We can now use two rooms but we can’t use the third as the lights comes on too early,” he said.

“The pub is lit to a standard but when they first turned it on the lights in the pub didn’t matter. I wouldn’t be allowed to put a light on my stables as it’s an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is stupid as they can do this without any permission.”

Network Rail has converted the crossing to a CCTV-monitored system which needs a large floodlight to illuminate the whole area.

The project managers held a meeting with concerned residents and councillors last week to address the issue.

After Sunday’s adjustments, lighting shields stop the glare onto many of the properties and the timer means the lights will turn off from 11.20pm to 5.30am, except when overnight trains pass.

Tony said those affected are keeping a diary over the next two weeks for the council so Environmental Health can look into the light pollution issues.

Maggie Flegg’s garden is directly beneath the floodlights and although her house is no longer affected as much, her plants are a concern.

“I was quite distraught as I had spoken to Radio Kent in the morning and was told, if my garden was in total light, the plants will weaken and eventually die,” she said.

“So I was pretty upset after all the hard work and money I had spent as I love my garden.

“But turning it off at night means my plants won’t die.”

Network Rail claim it was always going to reassess the situation and test the lights after they were erected.

But Ms Flegg said the shields should have been added in the first place.

A Network Rail spokesman said: “We always intended to test the lights and their impact after they had been switched on and I’m pleased to say that the lighting shields did their job on Sunday and our neighbours are not bathed in light.”

The spokesman added: “We realise that suddenly lighting up a level crossing can be a shock for people who live next door and it’s important that we work with our neighbours to find a light level that makes the crossing safer but is also acceptable to them.”

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