Thousands of our older lamp posts are in a poor condition and need to be replaced. Older designs throw light in all directions and do not meet modern illumination standards and orange light makes it more difficult to see colours at night. The new white lighting directs light on to the road and pavements helping to reduce traffic accidents, crime, and the fear of crime, leading to safer streets. The funding will also allow the council to replace the old stock with more energy efficient lighting.
A Private Finance Initiative, or a PFI, is a way of securing government money, usually for larger projects. PFI has been used by councils for nearly ten years to provide street lighting, neighbourhood centres, schools, and hospitals. The process involves the council commissioning a partnership of private sector companies and organisations to provide services for a fixed term.
The works will be carried out by SSE Enterprise Lighting working with Southampton City Council. SSE Enterprise Lighting is the largest Street Lighting Contractor in the country and is part of the SSE Group.
In the next few days the new positions for the lamp posts will be marked on the public highway, normally by a white circle with the letters SL in the centre. The positions of the new lamp posts have been designed to guarantee the correct levels of illumination.
It is impossible to install the new lamp posts and electricity supply cables without digging some holes. We will try to dig as few as possible and fill them back in as soon as we can. Our engineers use barriers, signs, cones and even traffic lights if necessary, for safety. Please be aware of these signs.
Obviously, you cannot park where our workmen are digging. We will, however, try to keep as much parking space available as possible.
You should be able to use your drive as normal unless we are working directly outside your house. If we are, we may have to ask you to park your car somewhere else 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 workmen and they will help you.
If the road is busy or particularly narrow we may have to use traffic lights. This is for your safety as well as that of our workforce. We take great care positioning the lights and work closely with the council official at all times.
Rubbish and recycling collections should take place as normal. If necessary we will move dustbins to a single collection point clear of our work and return them once emptied.
If you are expecting a delivery speak to one of the workmen. If you run a business, one of our engineers will contact you before work starts to discuss the access you need and when you need it. If no one has contacted you and you are concerned please ring our customer service team on 0800 048 2436.
The underground electricity cables need to be disconnected from the old lamp posts and reconnected to the new ones. We try to do this within a few days but it may take a little longer as we must ask the local electricity board to do this. Once we have finished our work the old lamp posts can be removed. We will not leave the street in darkness.
There should be no disruption to the electricity supply in your home during the works.
The new lighting has been designed to meet the requirements of the new British Standard and the specification of Southampton City Council. This along with new developments in lantern and lamp technology means we can light the highway using fewer lamp posts in the majority of the streets and less energy across the city as a
whole, while providing lighting to a higher standard than at present.
The height of the new lamp posts on most of the residential streets have increased slightly, this is due to new modern lanterns which control the light much better than the existing lanterns, resulting in greater spacing between the columns and less street furniture. The lamp posts on main residential roads and traffic routes can increase from between three to five metres depending on the importance of the road and the traffic flow.
Once the new lamp posts have been installed, the local electricity board will lay the supply cables, connect the new lighting and disconnect the old lighting at the same time. The old lamp posts can then be removed and the pavement reinstated.
We will replace or re-seed turfed areas and flower beds if we disturb them (depending on the time of year) however, this may not take place until after we have left site. If we dig up your drive we will repair it using similar materials to the original. If you have a block imprint drive we will use specialist contractors to match the colours and repair the surface.
SSE Enterprise Lighting do not send anything to landfill. The existing lamp posts, both steel and concrete are completely recycled.
The lighting is designed to ensure that we meet the current British Standard and specification of Southampton City Council. This means that lamp posts cannot always be replaced in their existing locations. We do offer to check the layout design and if there is an alternative convenient position, we will consider an approach from residents
to relocate the column before it is erected. Please note Question 4 in respect of marking out.
We will design the lighting in accordance to the current British Standard and specification of Southampton City Council. This may result in fewer lamp posts along the street and we cannot always replace them in the original positions, therefore the benefit cannot always be retained.
The new lanterns have much better optical control than the old ones. It takes time to adjust to a new night time environment and this issue tends to diminish with time. However, should the matter cause you concern then we can discuss this with you.
The replacement works normally start three to four weeks after you receive this information and are usually completed within two weeks.
The lighting is designed to ensure that the adopted highway meets the requirements of the current British Standard for street lighting and the specification of the council.
This means that columns cannot always be replaced in their original position.
However we do offer to check the design to see if there is scope to move a column. We also carry out a site visit where required and most of the time we reach an amicable agreement on the siting of the column.
The lighting is installed in accordance of the current British Standard for street lighting and the specification of the council to provide lighting to adopted highway, we understand that some residents have had the benefit of lighting from the existing system but we cannot always replace them in the original positions and therefore the benefit cannot always be retained.
The new lighting has much better optical control than the old lighting. Once installed, if you are unable to get used to the new lighting, we can consider fitting a louvre to the lantern that will reduce the amount light on your property.
The old street lights will be removed once the new lighting columns have been serviced and are working. We cannot leave the street in darkness.
We aim to complete a column replacement scheme within 3 weeks.
If the footpath is lit and is an adopted highway then a new system of lighting will be installed where necessary to meet British Standards.