Bid to replace street lighting on safety grounds

The local authority is looking to replace 151 street lighting columns in the village

Street lighting in a village in the east of the Isle of Man has reached the end of its lifespan and needs to be replaced on safety grounds, the local authority has said.

Onchan Commissioners have agreed to ask the government for permission to borrow £897,000 to refurbish 151 lighting columns in residential streets in the Birch Hill area.

At a meeting this week, the board heard some of the existing lights had been deemed no longer safe as they posed a potential fire and electrocution hazard or had exposed wiring.

Chairman Anthony Allen said while the project would potentially lead to a rise in rates, it would "save money in electricity costs, ongoing maintenance and address any safety concerns".

He said the financial impact had been "carefully considered" but the stock had "come to an age where they had reached the end of their life."

'Beyond economical repair'

As the village has 11,000 street lights, the project would account for 13.7% of Onchan's lighting stock.

If permission for the loan is granted, work to install the new columns would begin in April, with the project included in the authorities 2026-27 budget.

A report by the district surveyor outlined options for funding the project, which included paying for part of it from existing reserves to reduce the impact of loan repayments on local rates.

If the full amount was to be borrowed, an additional 11p increase in the district rate and a 3% increase to the current rate.

The report said the current lighting columns, some of which dated back to the 1970s, were "ageing stock with various issues, most of which are becoming beyond economical repair and not installed to current street lighting design guidelines".

That could leave the authority "open to prosecution should an accident occur involving a street light failure or a road traffic collision due to non-compliant lighting", it said.

Once completed, the scheme would lead to annual savings of £2,026.74 in energy costs, it added.