The locations for the new street lights will be marked out on the ground and the new columns installed. Only after the new lights are connected to the electricity cable will any old ones be removed.
To comply with present day codes of practice and provide appropriate levels of illumination, more street lights at closer spacings are usually required. When spacings are changed, it is very unusual for the old and new columns to be in exactly the same place.
The preferred locations are between houses, between drives or on the house side of the drive. The Council aims to position columns in one of these locations, but this is not always possible. Columns are normally sited at the back of footways or in verges. This minimises obstruction on the footway and damage to columns caused by vehicles.
Every column position is checked on site to make sure that access to houses and commercial premises is not obstructed.
We must rely on the Regional Electricity Company (United Utilities Plc) to make most individual connections and disconnections from the electricity cables. The timescales applied to connections to street lights are longer than those applied to connections to buildings.
The excavated area where old street lighting once stood will be reinstated to existing ground level. After all electrical connections have been made to the new columns and redundant columns removed, a permanent reinstatement will be carried out.
The Council has a contract for the supply of energy to power all the Borough's street lighting which is based on the number of street lights and the wattage rating of each lamp.
Pilot schemes, such as at Stubshaw Cross, Ashton, have seen old concrete columns replaced by brand new stainless steel ones, with energy-efficient bulbs.
