Victorian-style lamp posts being replaced

Victorian-style lamp posts on The Landing

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The Victorian-style lamp posts on The Landing are being replaced due to their poor state of repair, says Rochdale Borough Council.

The Independent candidate for Spotland and Falinge Ward in next week's local elections, Carl Faulkner, was concerned that a "quirky character feature" of a road leading into the town centre is being "obliterated".

He said: "In the last few years the council has already removed The Landing's character stone flags and replaced them with modern granite type ones. Now under the wasteful £118 million street lamp replacement contract, a quirky character feature of a road leading into the town centre is being obliterated.

"The company that is doing the job should also be installing black lamp posts in conservation areas, which it is not doing. The excuse given to me is that the weather keeps preventing them from painting lamp posts in safe manner. I would have thought having them painted black before installing them was common sense and much easier.

"What will happen to the Victorian style lamp post once ripped-up. Will they be carefully stored and taken away by the contractor, just like the original paving stones?"

A council spokesperson said: “They need replacing because they’re in a poor state of repair. The new ones will look similar but at the moment they just look like plain lampposts because the ‘adornments’ are added on later.”