Street lighting replacement delayed

A multi-million pound lighting replacement scheme which is currently ongoing in Middleton has been delayed because an energy firm won’t allow the council to use their posts.

Work began on the £123 million Street lighting replacement programme on Stakehill Lane in March and up until now, old street lights had been attached to wooden posts carrying electrical cables.

But now, it is understood that Electricity North West has told the council’s contractor E.ON that they can no longer use the posts to attach the street lights.

This means that the project will remain unfinished whilst E.ON and Electricity North West try and reach a compromise.

Mark Widdup, Director of Economy and Environment at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “The existing lighting in Stakehill Lane is currently attached to Electricity North West’s (ENW) overhead wooden poles but, due to the health and safety risks associated with the street lighting being in close proximity to power lines, the new lighting cannot be reattached. E.ON are required to remove the existing lighting from the wooden poles and provide their own columns for the street lighting, which has subsequently delayed the scheme.

"The existing lighting will remain operational while the new scheme is being designed and we will keep residents informed of any progress.”

Under the £123 million Private Finance Initiative, 40,000 street lights in Rochdale and Oldham are being replaced along with 5,000 signs, beacons and subway lights.