Street lighting lanterns on residential roads in Eastbourne and Hastings will be replaced with modern LED alternatives as part of a county-wide drive to save £885,000 over the next three years.
In other parts of the county, East Sussex County Council has already introduced changes to street lighting where lights have been replaced with lower wattage ‘white' lights, dimmed or converted to part-night operation.
Recent advances in technology have increased the performance of LED lighting and reduced the cost of them so that they are now a viable economic alternative for a large-scale project to deliver savings in energy costs. LED lighting will be introduced elsewhere in the county as new schemes are implemented or existing lighting needs replacing.
The new lights are to be installed in Eastbourne this year and Hasting the following year. The specific lighting needs of each area will be looked at on a ward by ward basis starting with Langney, in Eastbourne. Residents are invited to find out how the lighting in Langney will be changing and to tell us their views at an engagement event this Saturday 18 May (see below for details).
Lights on the main roads through Eastbourne will remain unchanged while those on the main routes into housing estates may be dimmed from either 10pm or midnight depending on the how busy the road is and the businesses operating along those roads.
The lighting in residential streets will generally be maintained throughout the night although in some areas it may switch off between 12.30am and 5am.
“A year ago we were spending close to £1.4million a year on electricity for our street lighting and illuminated signs,” said Rupert Clubb, Director of Economy, Transport and Environment. “We have been forced to make some very difficult decisions in order to make significant savings over the next three years.
“As well as saving more than £105,000 a year with the changes currently in place, there has also been a reduction of 650 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The changes to street lighting in Eastbourne and Hastings will help us achieve our target of saving £885,000 by 2016.
“All changes to street lighting have been carried out in consultation with Sussex Police to ensure that, while we achieve the necessary savings, our county remains a safe place to live and work.”
Members of East Sussex County Council's street lighting team will be on hand to answer questions and listen to people's concerns at the engagement event, which runs from 9am to noon at St Barnabas United Church Hall in Kingfisher Drive in Langney on Saturday 18 May.
Comments or concerns about the proposed changes in Langney can be made at local libraries, our visit our street lighting section:
http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/roadsandtransport/roads/maintenance/fixtures/streetlighting/changes.htm#subtitle3
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