The Parish Council is responsible for the provision and maintenance of the 37 streetlights that are situated within the Village. The lights are provided for pedestrians. We pay for their electricity and maintenance from the Aynho Precept (part of your Council Tax Bill) and spend just under £1950 in electricity and £450 in routine maintenance plus additional costs if current fittings fail. This represents about 10% of our budget. The Parish Council intends to replace the current lights for two reasons:
- Most of the fittings within the village are old and utilitarian and as such not particularly in keeping with a Conservation Village. There is also a mix of fittings and light colours.
- Modern street lights, using LED technology, are about 80-90% cheaper to operate. New lights could also be top down, thus reducing light pollution and have the ability to be dimmed further in the small hours. Potentially, if all streetlights were replaced with LEDs we could save £1560 – £1755 per year in electricity costs with further savings in maintenance costs. Additionally LED life expectancy is longer than current bulbs which will reduce maintenance costs.
The PC proposes to:
- Replace all lights (either wall mounted or on posts) with replacement LED lights. These will shine the light downwards to help minimise light pollution and will be fitted with drivers which reduce the lights power during the small hours – further reducing electricity costs and light pollution.
- All lights within the Conservation Area will be of a Heritage Style.
- All lights outside the Conservation Area will be an appropriate ‘modern’ fitting
- Where lights are currently fitted residents homes with wall brackets these will be replaced in situ with the option of a blank backing plate to reduce light pollution towards the home.
- The light in Skittle Alley will be reinstated.
- It is proposed to discontinue the light placed on the end house of The Hill.
- At this stage it is not intended to add to or re-site the current lighting stock.
How will this project be paid for:
- The estimated cost, having had initial quotes, is £50K.
- The PC has ear-marked reserves in the order of £24K.
- The shortfall of £26K would be taken out via a 10 year public loan.
- The annual repayments on this loan are estimated at £2.9K a year
- The expected annual savings will be about £2K a year
- The £900 shortfall will be met out of existing revenues and there is no intention to specifically increase the precept to cover this project.
- Additional funding may be available from SNC which would reduce the loan requirements.
Timeframe:
- A draft statement of requirement is currently being prepared at present to obtain final quotes.
- The PC is currently seeking approval to apply for the loan. (Please note this is the permission to apply for the loan and is not the loan itself).
- It is intended to finalise plans by 30 Apr 19 and given final approval
- Works to be carried out in Summer 2019.
More details will be published on the Aynho website including images of the lights to be used. If you have any comments or observations on this project you are asked to email them to clerk@aynho.org or send them in writing to The Clerk, 3 School End by 5 Jan 19.