£45m fast track plan for street lights

WARRINGTON is to bid for funding for a fast track scheme to improve its aging stock of 26,398 street lighting columns.
The Government has made £440 million available in Private Finance Initiative credits which, it is estimated, will enable eight councils to upgrade their street lighting.
If Warrington’s bid was successful, it is estimated that 80 per cent of lighting assets would be replaced within the first five years and a further 10 per cent over the next 20 years.
Currently, 61 per cent of the borough’s lighting columns are older than 25 years and 28 per cent are older than 40 years.
This compares unfavourably with the national average of 15 per cent of columns being more than 40 years old.
Andy Farrall, the borough council’s strategic director for environment and regeneration, said: “This age profile presents serious potential future liability issues for the council, including the increasing risk of column failure through deterioration, high energy consumption, high carbon emissions and high maintenance costs.”
More than 30 councils have already successfully bid for PFI lighting schemes but the latest round of bidding will place greater emphasis on reducing energy and carbon emissions through significant improvements in technology.
Currently, street lighting accounts for 17 per cent of Warrington’s carbon emission and is calculated this could be reduced by 3-4 per cent by new technology.
The quality of lighting would be improved by using new lamps and in residential areas “white light” could be employed, improving colour rendering and facial recognition – a key element in reducing fear of crime. Light pollution could also be reduced.
Capital cost of the fast track scheme would be £45 million, with annual costs of £376,000 to repay the capital.
The council has examined a number of other proposals, including carrying out the minimum amount of work, carrying out partial replacement or continuing with the existing service.
Mr Farrall’s report to the council’s executive board stated: “The risk of not investing in the street light asset would effectively mean that columns would be removed in streets as they become unsafe and area would remain unlit in some area. It is also likely that columns could fail and potentially fall over and cause damage or injury to property or people.