Agenda item

Deputation Submitted Under Council Procedure Rule 9

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9 (Public Participation), a deputation was submitted by Mr T Parker, resident of Great Hollands North with regard to street lighting on behalf of Bracknell Liberal Democrats and the residents of Wildridings and Easthampstead:

“The Council’s changes to street lighting in residential areas, costing some £7m across the borough, including £405k in Wildridings and Great Hollands alone, have caused great concern regarding safety and security amongst residents due to inadequacies in the design of both the lampposts and the lights themselves. Therefore, I urge the Council to complete a review regarding the effectiveness of the installed lighting in residential areas of Wildridings and Easthampstead and either:

a.      Remediate the lighting deficiencies; or

b.      Inform residents in a published statement why they believe the lighting to be adequate”.

Minutes:

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9 (Public Participation), a deputation was submitted by Mr T Parker, resident of Great Hollands North with regard to street lighting on behalf of Bracknell Liberal Democrats and the residents of Wildridings and Easthampstead:

“The Council’s changes to street lighting in residential areas, costing some £7m across the borough, including £405k in Wildridings and Great Hollands alone, have caused great concern regarding safety and security amongst residents due to inadequacies in the design of both the lampposts and the lights themselves. Therefore, I urge the Council to complete a review regarding the effectiveness of the installed lighting in residential areas of Wildridings and Easthampstead and either:

a.Remediate the lighting deficiencies; or

b.Inform residents in a published statement why they believe the lighting to be adequate”.

Councillor Turrell responded to the deputation by thanking Mr Parker his submission welcoming feedback from our residents. He reported that in 2015, it was agreed to replace 13000 lanterns and 1000 columns over a three-year period by the Council's contractors, Ringway. Lighting was trialled in Owlsmoor prior to the main work starting and residents were written to in advance of work starting in their area. He stated that the advantages of changing to LED lighting was a reduced carbon footprint, reduced light-pollution and lights were no longer shining through bedroom windows. He added that there are significant cost savings through reduced energy use, more accurate timings for lights being on and that brightness of lights could be adjusted for certain timed periods. There were also significant savings associated with maintenance. The system is self-reporting, using digital systems, so engineers were able to locate and rectify faults quickly.

There were still a number of phases of the project to be carried out. He explained that lanterns were replaced on existing columns but the opportunity was being taken to replace concrete columns at the end of their life and aluminium columns which had not lasted as well as other types. He explained that once lanterns were changed the area was scouted to check that they were working and to pick up on other issues such as overhanging greenery and configuration. The new lighting is more directional, and was focussed on roads and pathways.

 

He added that in some areas, such as Wildridings, Great Hollands, Birch Hill and Hanworth, where streets were built on a courtyard pattern rather than the traditional layout, configuration had been identified as an issue, leading to some dark spots being created. These were being assessed to inform future work . Wall-mounted lamps were also being replaced with columns. He thanked Councillors for their pro-active work helping to deal with concerns raised by residents, and initiating remedial work.

 

He stated that the website is the most accurate source of information about the project. When residents were reporting concerns he asked that they give specific details. He thanked residents who had been in touch  Issues were being resolved quickly where possible or were being batched for later phases of the project which would be undertaken later in the year.

 

He concluded by confirming the Council’s commitment to ensure that the scheme was right for the benefit of all residents.

 

Contact Information

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Email: committee@bracknell-forest.gov.uk