The Parish Council is considering changing the streetlights from the current sodium and mercury units to low energy LED’s. A rural community such as Great Addington is not expected to illuminate every square metre of pavement, but when walking in the village pedestrians should, at all times, be able to see a well lit area ahead of them as a guide. A consultant has advised that with this criteria in mind six of our existing lights could be redundant. They propose that the six should be removed entirely and not replaced. The six lights are located at ……
No.1 Outside Pearl Cottage, Lower Street No. 3 Opposite Nene View, Lower Street No. 8 Outside 6, Manor Close No. 14 Opposite Carler's Farm, Main Street No. 21 Outside The Cairns, Cranford Road No. 24 Corner of Rushwell Close / Cranford Road.
Please let the Parish Council know if you have any strong views on this proposal.
By not replacing these lights the total cost of the project would be reduced by £4000 from approximately £18,000 to £14,000 and the future bill for electricity supply would be reduced by £100 per year.
The Council needs to take action because
- The current streetlamps use mercury and sodium. Two harmful substances that will be phased out due to problems with their safe disposal. Additionally, replacing them with low energy LED’s gives a better light quality AND saves money in the long term. The majority of towns and villages in Northamptonshire whose streetlights are operated by The County Council have already changed to LED’s. You will have seen them (along the road from Crow Hill ?) and we hope you will have seen the advantages.
- Some of our streetlights are mounted on concrete columns with steel top sections and some are on aluminium posts. We are advised that these columns do not meet current safety standards and need to be replaced.
Reducing carbon footprint
LED street lights use 40-80% less electricity and have at least 5 times the life expectancy compared to regular High Pressure Sodium fixtures.
LED street lamps are very directional and the light output is much more evenly distributed. The light emitted from the LED lamp is directed downwards, spread throughout the entire area it covers.
LED street lights last much longer than conventional lamps (3 to 8 times longer). This results in less expense in replacing the lights themselves and also the labour to replace the lamp is needed less often.
Darksky friendly
Because the light is carefully distributed exactly where it is meant to go there is little light wasted by illuminating the night sky. This also dramatically reduces light pollution, which affects the mood of human beings, navigation in birds and insects, mating behavior in animals and flowering in plants.
Natural light spectrum
LED street lamps render more natural light than the yellow of sodium lamps or green of fluorescent streetlights so displaying the natural colors of illuminated objects.
I am really not happy that you have turned the light off on Manor Close. We now have to walk our kids home in the pitch black which is completely unsafe. I notice that Ringstead road is still lit up like a Christmas tree!
Philippa,
Please be assured that the street light in Manor Close has not been switched off. If it isn’t working there must be an electrical fault. Now that you have brought it to our attention we’ll contact out contractor and ask that it is repaired ASAP. Nick Palmer, Chairman.
We are residents of main street, Great Addington and we walk along this road daily at night, we feel it would be the wrong decission to remove the street light on main street due to the fact it would make the footpath dangerous for pedestrians, and with the theft of catalytic converters and burglaries along Main street over the last 3/4 years, with the removal of the street light it will surely attract more criminal activity,
I often walk in the dark in the winter months with my small children. It is already very dark and with the uneven pavements can be tricky at the best of times. I would worry about walking my daughter from Manor Close to and from Rainbows in the winter without any light. It would be dangerous and scary for her. I do not think that this is a good idea at all.
I also believe that with the number of cars parked along the close by the light, removing it will make the area completely dark and will encourage criminal activity.
I walked back tonight at 7.30 and it was very dark even with the light. I cannot believe that the person who surveyed the area did it at night time. Can I suggest that your consultant revisits the area in the dark?
The street light in Manor close is in fact opposite number 1 Manor Close not outside number 6. If it was out side number 6 the removal may make sense as it would be very close to the only other light in the close.The number of pedestrians and car owners who walk to and from their cars in Manor Close has increased.
The personal safety and the security of properties in a rural community needs to be taken into consideration. It is our choice to live in a rural community but in terms of services received from the council compared to that provided in a town there is no comparison. Yes reduce the cost of lighting our roads by installing new moire efficient lights but please don’t reduce the small number of street lights that we currently have in place.
I consider our village needs all the light possible during
the dark months of winter. I often walk down the Main St. from the school and village hall and it is dark enough now – if you remove the lights by Carlers Farm and Manor Close corner it will be very dark.
I consider this to be a dangerous move – especially for people walking alone.
Dear Parish Councillors
I would like you to reconsider the removal of the street light opposite Nene View because the pavement is very narrow in that area and could create a hazard to people walking along that stretch after dark.
With regard to the 14-18000 pound investment, it seems rather expensive just to save £100 per annum.
I would suggest replacement lamps only on a gradual basis when the existing ones fail.
Yours sincerely
Steve,
Thanks for your comments. We note your concern over removal of the “Nene View” street light.
If we keep all the existing lights and change to LED’s the total potential saving is £800 / £900 per year in energy costs alone, plus an unquantified reduction in maintenance costs due to the lamp upgrade. The figure of £100 saving is an additional saving that would be achieved if we remove and don’t replace the six lights identified by our consultant.
The Council believes that now is a good time to change all streetlights. We can take advantage of a deal offered by the contractor who is changing thousands of lights for the County Council and consequently has tremendous buying power with the equipment manufacturers. If we replace them on a gradual basis we would not get that advantage.
Dear Parish Council,
Thanks for your reply addressing my concerns, the additional information regarding potential savings on the energy costs makes more economic sense now and I could support the proposal, I would however still urge you to leave the light opposite Nene View, this light I’m assuming is in fact the one opposite Lower Street pump house. In the meantime could the Parish Council please arrange for the hedge to be trimmed around this light so that it isn’t obscured.
Thanking you in anticipation.
Got to be the right way ahead