A bright idea? Street lamp debate rages on

LED THERE BE LIGHT: Coun Richards
with the new-look street lighting

A NEW type of street light continues to be rolled out across the borough, despite concerns from some residents that the new-style lamps make for dingier neighbourhoods.
Solihull Council has started the second phase of a borough-wide programme to replace more than 5,000 lights with  LED technology.
Main routes through the north of the borough including Chester Road, Bradford Road and the Collector Road are among those where the change will take place in the near future.
Councillors claim that the more modern devices will be better for the environment and reduce light pollution, with the reduced energy bill saving the council in the region of £275,000 a year.
Solihull is the latest local authority to replace its ageing lamps with LEDs, as councils nationwide look to cut their carbon footprint.
But since officials started to introduce the lighting in 2014, some local people have complained that the lights makes for a gloomier street scene.
The lights have also proven unpopular in some of the other parts of the country where they have been introduced; in Edinburgh, lighting engineers agreed to make adjustments following concerns that streets were not adequately illuminated.
Despite some people's reservations, Solihull has insisted the new, more energy-efficient system is a big improvement.
Councillor Ted Richards, cabinet member for transport and highways said: "Some of our street lighting is nearly 50-years-old so this is a really positive change for the borough."
The council has also made the point that following its review of street lighting four years ago it chose not to follow the example of some other authorities and turn off lights altogether during the early hours.