Issue - meetings

This report  proposes to update the Street Lighting Policy to reflect the changes identified in the review.

Resolved: 

(i)      That the redrafted Street Lighting Policy be approved

(ii)      That delegation be given to the Assistant Director, (Transport, Highways and Environment), in consultation with the Executive Member for Transport and Planning, to add a further section to the policy to ensure that Ward Councillors and Parish Councils are consulted on columns in conservation areas as well as the full programme of column replacements being published. This will need to include a mechanism based on majority public opinion for Ward Councillors to request a review by the Executive Member.

(ii)      That the Streetscape Strategy and Guidance be taken into consideration but treated as guidance only, and not policy, until such time as it is reviewed and adopted.

Reason: To ensure a proportionate and consistent approach to the management of street lighting across the city.

Further to consideration at a decision session on 12 July 2018 and subsequent referral to scrutiny for their consideration, the Executive Member considered a further report that proposed to update the Street Lighting Policy to reflect the changes identified during the review as detailed in the report.

Officers advised that, following consideration by scrutiny members, whose recommendations were included at paragraph 10 of the report, and acknowledging advances in technology, the proposed policy had been modified to state that when replacing street lighting columns, 5m columns would be considered if the same lighting levels could be achieved as using a 6m column and without relocating the column.

The Executive Member acknowledged the comments made by both Cllr Warters and Cllr Brooks in relation to this report and the request that Ward and Parish Councillors are consulted on replacement street lighting. Discussion took place around whether consultation should take place for lighting replacement schemes in conservation areas only or for all lighting replacement schemes and how it could work on a practical basis, noting the cost implications of it. 

In response to concerns raised about disregarding the Streetscape Strategy and Guidance for the present time, officers confirmed that this document was due to be reviewed but until such time as it was, it should be treated only as guidance only and not policy.

Resolved: 

(i)      That the redrafted Street Lighting Policy be approved

(ii)      That delegation be given to the Assistant Director, (Transport, Highways and Environment), in consultation with the Executive Member for Transport and Planning, to add a further section to the policy to ensure that Ward Councillors and Parish Councils are consulted on columns in conservation areas as well as the full programme of column replacements being published. This will need to include a mechanism based on majority public opinion for Ward Councillors to request a review by the Executive Member.

(ii)      That the Streetscape Strategy and Guidance be taken into consideration but treated as guidance only, and not policy, until such time as it is reviewed and adopted.

Reason: To ensure a proportionate and consistent approach to the management of street lighting across the city.