A councillor says no changes will be made to the lights at a Northumberland petrol station following talks with the owners and council bosses.
Thropton hit the headlines this week after anonymous residents claimed the light pollution from the new petrol station was ruining the area's night world famous sky.
But bewildered residents hit back saying the amenity, which also has a Spar, butchers and hot food deli, had to many advantages to lose.
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Councillor Steven Bridgett, who represents the area, has now spoken to the owners of the site and says no further action will be taken because it is not needed.
He said: "I have spoken with James Hall & Co. (the owners of the site) this morning.
"As a result of that conversation, they have stood down their electricians and plans to switch off/remove and alter any of the lights at the store.
"The plans for the new store were submitted in 2020, they were not the original proposals.
"These proposals were very much toned down compared to what was original proposed and this was as a result of conversations with myself and planning officers.
"During the nearly 18 months it took for this planning application to be granted planning approval (far longer than normal), many changes were made to the proposals based on conversations and written submissions from residents, planning officers and I, as the local councillor.
"This is how the planning process works and has always worked.
"The planning approval was granted with lots of planning conditions attached, as you would expect for an application of this size.
"The planning approval was determined in line with the national planning policies set out by government and with the council’s own local planning policies. This includes the lighting."
Thousands of people flock to Northumberland every year hoping to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights, while the county was awarded Gold Tier status by the International Dark Sky Association.
But Counc Bridgett said the Spar is not in the National Park which means it is not in the Dark Sky area, and the lights at the Spar store are switched off at 9pm when the store closes.
He added: "There has been absolutely no complaints from anyone in the immediate vicinity of the store, who, in reality, are the ones who are impacted by the lighting the most.
"As has been pointed out by one of our Astronomers within the Coquet Valley, who is also a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society:
“From an astronomy point of view, the impact is negligible and has no effect on dark sky clarity,
"The bright lights are downward facing and have no atmospheric effect. The perimeter lights are sympathetic and there are no upward facing or pointing lights at all.
"They are turned off at 9pm and from April to September won't be on anyway, so I fail to see where any problem lies.
"This is someone who knows his stuff about dark skies better than you and I and actually has the equipment to carry out a light impact assessment and has done so.
"Anyone offering anything more than that is just offering a personal opinion on the matter because the actual evidence does not support these grossly overestimated claims."
Counc Bridgett added: "Finally, we live north of the wall, in the county of Northumberland, not in London or Brighton or wherever else the minority seem to rule over the majority. And your opportunity to address anything you see as an issue, has long since past.
"Democracy is still respected up here and while I respect the opinions of those opposed to the lighting. You are evidently in the minority.
"There will be no further action on the matter from James Hall & Co. and having spoken to the planning authority, they are content that the application was determined in the proper manner and in line with all of the relevant policies and will not be pursuing any changes to the site.
"For those who still have an issue: Build a bridge, get over it and channel your energies into something far more beneficial and constructive for our local communities."
A Shell spokesperson said: “The site mentioned is a dealer owned site and they are aware of the complaint regarding lighting coming from this service station.
"The service station currently meets regulation requirements for light pollution. We are aware the area being gold-tier for star-gazing, and are currently exploring suitable solutions to dim the lighting to address this concern.”
