Council is investing nearly £10m in LED street lighting

Following the upgrade of street lighting on main traffic routes last year, a further £9.5m is being invested to convert the majority of Cheshire East Council's street lights to LED over the next three years.

The LED replacements start this month and focus on residential roads. A total of 24,000 lights are to be replaced over three years, including 3,000 lampposts.

The new street lighting produces a 'white light' which improves visibility and colour recognition to help promote and maintain safety for residents and road users. The improvement in the quality of lighting should have a positive impact on vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

LED street lighting is also designed to direct light downwards on to the road, reducing light pollution into properties.

It is more economical and produces less carbon than conventional street lighting. Installation of this technology across Cheshire East is reducing the Council's carbon footprint and will deliver annual savings on street lighting energy consumption in excess of 40 per cent for the Council and Cheshire East residents.

LEDs are more reliable than the existing street lighting and have an estimated service life of 10-20 years. The improved reliability will result in fewer faults and therefore less disruption to the network, which would otherwise require engineer repair visits.

Councillor David Brown, Deputy Leader of Cheshire East Council and Cabinet member for highways and infrastructure, said: "The energy savings and carbon reduction associated with this investment in LEDs will secure real benefits for Cheshire East.

"Most importantly, though, we hope that this innovation will help to improve feelings of safety within our communities."

A total of 11,500 street lights have already been replaced following a programme of upgrades focused on traffic routes. Additionally, there has been a successful pilot of residential areas which led to this widespread LED lighting programme.

The street lighting LED programme can be found on Cheshire East Council's website.

If your road is to benefit from these improvements, you will receive a residents leaflet and works dates will be displayed on signage on your street.

Tags:
Cheshire East Council
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Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Terry Roeves
Wednesday 21st September 2016 at 4:16 pm
Improved reliability? Drive around the Unicorn Island on Adlington Rd - Dean Row Rd at night.
Nick Jones
Wednesday 21st September 2016 at 7:13 pm
Invest the money ONLY when CEC has achieved over £10m savings from abolishing the duplication of higher paid officials and duplication of expenditure at either end of this small county....
Peter Davenport
Thursday 22nd September 2016 at 7:59 pm
To add to the above comments, I was told in the blocking of traffic for thr Round Britain cycle race, by a van driver behind me ( a power washing company., that Cheshire East had just spent £1500.00 in power washing the offices at Sandbach, and quite a few other buildings of theirs had had the same treatment. Money must be flowing, as it seems that they can waste money like this!!
A good FOI question, I would think.
RE the item re LED lights, instead of replacing 3000 lamposts, has not anyone in the Council thought of making an adapter to fit the correct LED bulb, or changing the fitting in the lamp post to accomodate the LED bulb.
With the wages and salaries we hear about, brains seem to be lacking somewhat.
Nick Jones
Friday 23rd September 2016 at 11:18 am
Good point Peter.. the continued, well documented ,feckless wasting of our taxes continues.... yet CEC and its cllrs , officers alike are 'consciously unconscious ' to the outcry from the voting public of their continued wasting of cash.... As if " the light is on but definitely no one is at home "....

I must admit scrutiny of their public records on expenditure is no easy task to uncover .. ( there's probably a reason for that ! ) ie Lyme Green Co Socious Core Fit... They say a fool and his money are soon parted... but what if its not his money ?