Parts of Central Park to get streetlights

Pilot scheme to launch by the winter

Unlit stretches of Central Park are set to be made safer after a local campaign.

Plymouth City Council has agreed to introduce a new pilot lighting scheme following the Light Up Our Park petition organised by Plymouth Harriers running club and local residents.

They were backed by Labour councillors Charlotte Holloway (Drake) and Cllr Jeremy Goslin (Peverell).

The scheme will initially focus on the wooded area near the Ford Park Road entrance, where concerns about safety – particularly for women – have been raised. Previous progress had been held back by financial pressures and the need to protect the park’s important bat habitats and environmental concerns.

Following a direct intervention from council leader Cllr Tudor Evans, (Lab, Ham) council officers were instructed to develop and deliver a sensitive lighting pilot, with the aim of having it in place before the darker evenings return in winter 2026.

Cllr Holloway said: “I’ve persisted on this for four years and we got there! Thank you to the brilliant organisers at Plymouth Harriers and everyone who spoke up. This happened because we came together and kept making our voices heard. Now we need to make sure this pilot is delivered properly and works for the people who use the park every day.”

Cllr Jeremy Goslin said too many Peverell residents had told him they avoided this part of the park after dark, especially women, and that wasn’t right.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own community. I’m proud to have been part of a team of local campaigners to get this over the line. Feeling safe shouldn’t be optional.”

Emma Mcardle, chair of Plymouth Harriers, said she ran from Central Park every week with the Plymouth Harriers  and for years had to put up with poor lighting. 

“It’s something that’s affected a lot of us, with some of our female runners in particular. After reporting the broken lights on several occasions and getting nowhere, I decided to take things further and set up a petition to try and get the issue taken seriously”

She said local councillors stepped into help after she contacted Luke Pollard MP.

“I’m hopeful we’ll see real improvements soon to make Central Park a brighter, safer place for everyone who uses it.”

The online Light Up Our Park petition on change.org was signed by 399 people.