Our Lampposts

Many members will have seen in the local press the various campaigns being waged in different parts of Ealing to retain our old cast iron Edwardian lampposts. The Council are committed to upgrading street lighting and bringing it up to European standards. In 2005 a Private Finance Initiative contract was entered into to replace existing posts and add extra ones where needed. Once work started however, residents began to realise they were going to lose their attractive old posts and in their place have taller modern tubular steel ones erected, which would be out of keeping with the Edwardian housing. There is also concern that, with the higher new lamps, light will shine into bedroom windows and may be blocked by leaves in the summer. The EFRA area still has many of the original lamps and a local resident has carried out a survey of the views of residents in the affected streets. The vast majority of those he spoke to were in favour of retaining our existing lampposts, with the proviso that they be fitted with better light fittings. Those who have been following this issue will be aware that the Council is now working on keeping some of the old posts by concentrating them in a new ‘heritage zone’ centred on Pitshanger Manor. EFRA understands that the posts will still have to be removed so that they can be refurbished and upgraded. Because of the need to plug gaps there may not be enough original lamps for all those roads that would like to keep them. Your committee has been lobbying our local councillors on behalf of residents and they tell us that if there are enough lamps we may be included in this zone. We will continue to monitor the situation.