Is North Sydney’s street lighting too harsh?

27 November 2025

After a push from the local community North Sydney Council has resolved to consider ‘warmer’ LED luminaries for street and public place lighting. This comes after a concerted push from locals to replace cool blue-white lighting to a warmer white. At the time of publishing, 347 locals have signed a petition supporting the idea. 

Organiser Paul Jones said “As you may have noticed over the last 12 months or so the councils in the Sydney area  have been changing the street lights from mercury vapour warm white to a very bright LED cool white.”

Proponents of warmer lighting argue it reduces sleep disruption for local residents, thereby benefiting health; it increases safety for drivers by minimising glare; it is better for nocturnal wildlife as it lessens environmental impact; it creates a more pleasing nighttime ambience; and finally, warmer white light significantly reduces the pervasive glow of light pollution.

At a recent council meeting, councillors voted to consider the use of warm LED luminaries in future lighting replacement programs across Council owned properties and when future replacement of street lighting is proposed. As well as to explore grant funding from the NSW Government to undertake a program to install warm LED street lighting in place of the existing cool street lighting.

If implemented North Sydney Council would be following North American cities Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Washington DC, Phoenix, Tucson, San Francisco, San Diego, Columbus and Montreal, in changing to warm white LED street lights.