Cambridgeshire County Council’s streetlighting contractor Balfour Beatty will soon be returning to Queen Edith’s for the next phase of streetlight replacements. This is part of a countywide PFI programme to change all the streetlights in Cambridgeshire to a new, more energy-efficient type of light that will deliver energy savings of nearly 50%. The new lights are taller and we are told they illuminate a wider area.

The Conservatives, who ran the Council at the time the contract was set up, gave us a rigid contract, with very little flexibility on issues such as removals and light types, but with loose provisions other areas, such as standards of service. The councillor who drew up the contract, has said in public, ‘If I had the chance to rewrite that contract, I would.’

Worse still, the Council agreed to a reduction of the total number of lights by 10%, and many smaller streets are losing more than that. Although this is leaving dark patches in many streets (such as Hinton Avenue picturd above), Liberal Democrat proposals to have lights reinstated in badly hit streets have been voted down by the other parties on the Council.

The next area to be visited by Balfour Beatty is Hills Road/ Babraham Road and streets off Hills Road such as the Red Cross Lane area and Luard Road. You can see what is planned at http://www.lightingcambridgeshire.com/news.htm, or download a plan:Hills Road main carriageway (ie not the slip road)

1425 Cambridge PRELIM–Access Hills Rd -V11

1425 Cambridge PRELIM–Babraham Road V1

1425 Cambridge PRELIM–Luard Road V5

1425 Cambridge PRELIM–Greenlands V4

1425 Cambridge PRELIM–Red Cross Ln – V2

1425 Cambridge PRELIM–Stansgate Av V3

Please let me know if you would prefer to look at a printed plan.

The county Council’s lighting contractor Balfour Beatty is working with the cycle lanes contractor to synchronize their activities on Hills Road.

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