Work on countywide street lighting upgrade continues

AN 18-month scheme to improve street lighting, which will reduce council energy bills and lower carbon emissions, starts this week.

Additional funding has been secured enabling East Sussex Highways to upgrade a total of 16,000 street light units to modern high efficiency LED lights and replace 3,000 aging concrete street lighting columns between now and March 2022 as part of a countywide project.

Since the wider programme began six years ago, 22,000 of the 38,000 street lights across East Sussex have been upgraded to new LED lights.

Cllr Claire Dowling, East Sussex County Council’s lead member for transport and environment said: “Upgrading our remaining street lights with modern LED lights, which are expected to use 73 per cent less electricity each year, will have a real and lasting impact on reducing our carbon footprint.

“In February this year the council published its Climate Emergency Plan which included our intention to be carbon neutral by 2050 at the latest. Saving an anticipated 627 tonnes of CO2 a year, this project takes us one step closer to achieving that objective as we continue to work towards becoming a more sustainable county.”

The work is being supported by a £2.4 million interest-free loan from Salix Finance, which provides Government funding to the public sector to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

Edward Clark, Programme Manager for the Street Lighting Team at Salix, said: “Salix is proud to have supported East Sussex with their multi-million street lighting upgrade project. We have worked closely with the team on this project, which will see the council reduce their carbon footprint and lower energy bills. We hope to continue our relationship with the council and support them with further energy efficiency projects.”

Phase one of the programme covers Bexhill, Peacehaven, Newhaven, Rye, Seaford, Telscombe and Saltdean and will take approximately six months to complete.

The project will start in Bexhill with work commencing on Church Street, Egerton Road, Hastings Road, Sackville Road, St Leonards Road, Westcourt Drive and Western Road on Monday, October 19.

For more information on East Sussex Highways projects visit www.eastsussexhighways.com