Fairlands Valley Park's solar path lights trial has ended and feedback closes on 10 October. The first lights since a 1,000-name petition in 2023.
Stevenage Borough Council wants to hear from people who walk or cycle through Fairlands Valley Park after dark. It has been trialling solar path lights on one stretch of the park, and its feedback survey closes on Saturday 10 October 2026.
It is the first time lights have gone up on the park’s paths since residents petitioned for them nearly three years ago. Whether they stay, or spread, depends partly on what the survey says, and partly on the park’s bats.
What the trial covers
The council announced the trial on 2 July. It said the lights were meant to make the park safer for people passing through “after dark and twilight”, while being sensitive to wildlife.
The details it gave:
- the lights are on one small section of path, not the whole park
- they run north to south, beside the Stevenage Cycling Hub and the model boat pond
- they are solar powered
- the trial was due to run until late September
- feedback is open until 10 October, through an online form linked from the council’s page
The council also said better lighting should encourage people to use parks in the evening, for exercise, travel and community use.
How it got here
The trial is the first visible result of a petition that reached Full Council in December 2023.
December 2023. A petition with more than 1,000 signatures asked for wildlife-friendly lighting along the park. The minutes record the lead petitioner telling councillors that the paths were pitch dark in the evenings. She said some parents drove their children to dance classes at the park rather than walk through it. Councillors agreed to look at it as part of a new green spaces strategy, cost reflective edging for the paths, and ask the police and the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust for their views. (Stevenage Borough Council, Full Council, 20 December 2023, item 5)
July 2024. The bats became the obstacle. In a written answer, Councillor Simon Speller said the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and the Herts and Middlesex Bat Group had rated the park “of county importance” for supporting eight bat species. He said lighting that changed the bats’ behaviour “could therefore constitute an illegal disturbance”, so a bat survey was needed first. There was no budget for one, and officers would bid for money in 2025/26. (Stevenage Borough Council, Members’ Questions, Council 31 July 2024)
December 2025. The survey was done over the summer and early autumn of 2025. Answering a public question, Councillor Rob Broom said it had found 10 bat species in the park. He said the council would consider funding a specialist lighting design in 2026/27, subject to the survey results, and that it still needed to find the money. (Stevenage Borough Council, Public Questions, Council 17 December 2025)
The same public question pointed out that the council’s Green Spaces Strategy 2025 to 2035 lists Fairlands Valley Park lighting as a “Long Term (8-10 years)” action to “explore options”. It asked for that to be brought forward. Councillor Broom’s answer did not commit to a new timetable.
What it means for you
- If you use the park after dark, fill in the council’s survey before 10 October. The link is on the council’s trial page. The trial lights were on the path by the Cycling Hub and the model boat pond.
- If you did not notice them, that is useful feedback too. The council asked for views from anyone who travels through or uses the park in the evening.
- Do not expect the whole park to be lit soon. The council’s own answers tie any wider scheme to the bat survey and to money it has not yet found.
The park is also where the council’s free fireworks display takes place on Thursday 5 November, with gates at 6.30pm. Details are on our Stevenage fireworks page. For other changes to the town’s parks and play areas, see our story on the Spencer Way play area.
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