Dear Mr Reed,
On behalf of ACORN Residents’ Association based in the central area of  Newton Aycliffe, we would like to add our voices to the protest which is swiftly growing in opposition to the Durham County Council plan advocating the removal of lighting alongside the A167.
As a group we believe ACORN is a positive supporter of our County Council but in this particular case the perceived risk to life is believed to be considerable alongside a busy highway which services many settlements in southwest Durham and therefore would advise extreme caution.
Scenarios likely to increase concern in the Newton Aycliffe area include:
• Poor visibility for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Access to Newton Aycliffe and its adjacent industrial estate from the Copelaw site and Gretna Green/Premier Inn complex.
• Apparently under the County Durham Plan up to 900 homes are expected to be erected alongside the A167. Clearly if this is to be the case, footfall and cycle traffic crossing a major road in virtual darkness could result in a tragedy.
• Increase in traffic flow resulting from the Hitachi site and ‘just in time supply traffic’ to other successful sites operating from the Business Park are essential to the economy and employment in our county with good quality road access vital to the continued success of our Town.
The thought process behind this scheme is presumably a saving of money and I can well understand from a fiscal viewpoint that line of thinking, however the safety of residents must take precedence.
Coming at a time when planning is taking place for Lumiere which must have a substantial cost for the ratepayers of County Durham, this latest cost saving measure strikes me as ironic in the extreme, and I look forward to you shedding a little “light” on the matter. Hopefully at a public meeting.
Ken Robson  (Chairman )
ACORN Residents
Association.