It's simple - thousands of older street lights are in a poor condition and need replacing. Some are more than 40 years old and just don't meet modern standards. Orange light makes it more difficult to see colours at night and the older designs shine light in all directions, including into the night sky. The new white lighting will be directed onto roads and pavements, helping to reduce traffic accidents, crime (and the fear of crime) and make the streets safer.
Yes, the energy used will be more efficient and better directed.
Most lighting stock over 15 years old will be replaced on a like-for-like basis with white fluorescent light in residential areas, giving greater clarity and colour representation. Carbon emissions will be reduced through the introduction of remote lighting management, with a central control room having the ability to change lighting times and levels.
Any new or replacement lighting is designed to British and European lighting standards and will be ‘white’ light.The aim is to provide the right standard for the type of road, traffic flow and local conditions. Some roads will have noticeably brighter lighting for these reasons.
Most street lights are replaced like-for-like but they must comply with the British Standard and Hampshire County Council design specifications. New replacement lighting columns will be sensitively placed on boundaries wherever possible or where they cause the least intrusion. Some designs will be limited by the available electrical supply, position of trees and other street signs. Street lights placed in different positions are sometimes required to ensure the highest safety criteria is met.
SSE Enterprise Lighting will be carrying out the work on behalf of Hampshire County Council. SSE Enterprise Lighting is the largest street lighting contractor in the country and part of the SSE Group.
Before the work starts we’ll mark the new positions for the street lights on the public highway, usually by a circle.These positions are designed to make sure that lighting levels are correct. We take great care positioning the lights and work closely with the local council to make sure there’s minimal disruption.
It isn’t possible to install new street lights and electrical cable without digging some holes. However, we’ll try to dig as few as possible and fill them in again as soon as we can. Our engineers use barriers, signs and cones for safety. If the road is very busy or narrow we may have to use traffic lights to protect our workforce.
You obviously can’t park where our engineers are digging.We will, however, try to keep as much parking space available as possible.
You should be able to use your driveway as normal unless we’re working directly outside your home. If we are,we may have to ask you to move your car elsewhere for a while. If you need to park close to your home (for example because you have a disability) please speak to one of our engineers and they will help you.
Bin collections should take place as normal. If necessary, we will move wheelie bins or dustbins to a single collection point away from the work site and return them when empty.
If you’re waiting for a delivery to arrive, please speak to one of our workmen. If you run a business, one of our engineers will contact you before the work starts to discuss what access you need and when. If no one has contacted you and you have some concerns, please call Hampshire County Council on 0845 603 5633.
We will not need to visit your premises when working in your road. If a member of the team does knock on your door, please ask for proof of ID and call the free phone number on the card to confirm their identity.
Once the new street lights are in place, the local electricity company will lay the supply cables, connect the new lighting and disconnect the old. The old street lights can then be removed. We try to do this within a few days but it may take a little longer as we have to ask the local electricity company to do the work. The work is planned carefully so the street isn't left without lighting.
There should be no interruption to your home’s power supply during the work.
No waste material is sent to landfill. The existing street lights, both concrete and steel are completely recycled, as well as the lanterns.
The new lighting is designed to meet the latest standards which mean they can't always be replaced in their existing locations.We do offer to check the layout and if there is a convenient alternative we will consider reasonable requests from residents to relocate a column before it is installed.
The majority of modern lanterns have optical controls designed to limit or counteract intrusion into properties. On occasions where a light shield is felt necessary, you can request one by emailing hampshirepfi@ssecontracting.com. For street lights that have been replaced as part of the programme there will be no charge to fit a light shield. However, if the street light in question is older and not part of the maintenance and replacement programme, a charge will be incurred.
If you would like the street light repositioned then contact hampshirepfi@ssecontracting.com.There may be a cost involved in the repositioning but each case is individually assessed.