Street light update

The new ‘heritage-style’ lights are up!
All but a few of the new lights have now been installed – and most of us agree that they look good. Thanks are due to all those who were involved in the campaign and kept up communications with the county and borough councils, especially Alf Manly, Christine Pember, Karen Powell, Charlotte Bramley and Mark Herbert. For information on the light replacement programme see www.surreycc.gov.uk.

Background
As you probably know, Surrey County Council is replacing all the lamp posts in the county. Residents of roads with converted swan-neck gas lamps opted for a design similar to their existing lamp posts rather than the upright light to be installed generally. Last summer the LDRA collected contributions from these residents to pay the extra £150 per column required to supply their roads with these ‘heritage-style’ lights.

Elmbridge Borough Council conservation officers asked SCC to look at the original swan neck proposal again as they did not feel it was appropriate and asked for a more heritage style to be installed instead. This process took four months and SCC advised us they would install the more expensive ‘Iffley’ design as shown here – for the same cost to residents. Shields were to be fitted as originally proposed.

We would like to thank residents for their patience during the delay which was unexpected and totally out of our control. However it does appear that we now have lights that are more in character with the surrounding architecture, for the same price.