Council criticised over plans to scrap Eastbourne lamp posts - 'feels incredibly wasteful'
A council plan to scrap Eastbourne’s ‘barley sugar’ lamp posts has been called ‘incredibly wasteful’.
East Sussex County Council (ESCC) said it would replace the 13 Victorian-style lamp posts in Terminus Road with modern lights to ‘improve public safety’.
An ESCC spokesperson said : "As part of the ongoing improvements in Eastbourne town centre, the barley sugar lamp posts along Terminus Road are scheduled to be replaced with new streetlights, to improve public safety, ensure compliance with modern requirements and support continued development and accessibility of the town centre.”
The issue has prompted a public response, with ‘save our lamp posts’ signs appearing on every column.
Conservative councillor David Small said the move ‘feels incredibly wasteful’.
He said: "There is cross-party support for keeping these lights.
"No one is arguing against well-lit streets, but if the lights are too dim, surely a better and cheaper solution is obvious: just fit brighter, modern fittings to the posts we already have.
"It feels incredibly wasteful to throw away well-made ironwork for generic replacements that, frankly, are unlikely to last as well.
"At the very least, proper alternatives should be costed before these lights are lost.”
Cllr Small said councillors are calling for the lights to be preserved while all options are properly assessed and costed.
The Eastbourne Society has already called for the Conservative-run authority to ‘drop their plans’.
Richard Crook, trustee for The Eastbourne Society, said: “The Eastbourne Society wants to keep these heritage lamp posts in our main shopping precinct which add a sense of place and civic pride to our town rather than the standard steel tube posts proposed which, besides wasting tax payers’ money, would make it the same as any other town."
Bob Cookson, retired electrical engineer and adviser to the Eastbourne Society, added: "There is no technical reason why these columns cannot be fitted with modern fittings that meet current standards. Iron of this quality lasts for centuries.”
East Sussex County Council has been approached for comment.
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