A multi-million pound investment project to replace and repair street lights throughout Neath Port Talbot is being considered by councillors.
The Council is responsible for some 18,000 streets lights and has been developing a strategy to address the issue of the ageing stock in the county borough.
Councillors are being asked to approve a phased programme of works to ensure that all lights serving the highway network continue to be in good working order for the benefit of the public.
If given the green light, up to £15m could be spent over five years to repair or renew aged street light stock. Existing illuminated signs and bollards would continue to be repaired or replaced when needed.
Neath Port Talbot Council Leader Ali Thomas said revenue funds would be used to pay for Prudential Borrowing to deliver the proposed major programme of works.
He said: “Ageing public lighting stocks are an issue for many local authorities and we have carefully considered and planned how to tackle the situation in Neath Port Talbot over the last few years.
“Funding for renewal work has been allocated and incorporated in the Council’s Forward Financial plan to ensure that our streets and roads are kept well lit and safe for the benefit of local residents and visitors to Neath Port Talbot.”
Under the proposals being considered approximately 4,000 wooden pole mounted street lights would be replaced both in residential areas and along some of the county borough roads during the first phase of the programme.
The second phase of the project would deal with a similar number of old concrete columns, with the final phase concentrating on the remaining steel, cast iron and fibreglass stock over ten-years-old. Work will also address associated ageing power supply cables where these are in the Council’s ownership.
The proposals also consider the need to reduce the Authority’s carbon footprint and energy using in the coming years.
Several areas have been identified to pilot the use of Fluorescent and Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps, which use less energy, along with the dimming of lights in the early hours.
The report is due to go before councillors on March 31.
