Wall-mounted street lighting programme

Essex Highways has started a programme of works that will be replacing wall-mounted street light units attached to properties.

This is part of our continuing investment to keep our highways safe and functional. We will try and keep disruption to a minimum while we do the work.

What’s happening?

We are renewing the wall-mounted street lights because they are reaching the end of their design life.

Although you may not be able to see any deterioration, as the units age, heat up and cool down repeatedly and get affected by wind, rain, condensation, frost and sunlight, corrosion, metal fatigue and other problems become more likely. So we need to replace them before they become a hazard.

We will also take the opportunity to install modern, energy-efficient LED lighting heads (‘bulbs’) where they are not already fitted. LED streetlights, which are already common on many of our roads, save energy, reduce light pollution into the sky, provide a better quality of light and can be more accurately positioned to shed light where it is most needed.

When will the work happen?

The work will take place over the next few years. We will carry out the work during daylight hours and we will not work at weekends.

How we will do it?

The work involves removing and replacing the light heads and replacing any damaged and deteriorated wall boxes completely. All the work will be carried out by our highway service provider and should take no more than one working day.

Our work will be undertaken without any need to enter a property, as we will work from the public highway with suitable access equipment. We will also use traffic management such as temporary road signs, barriered areas and traffic cones to keep our engineers and passers-by safe.

Other things to be aware of...

The new lights will retain a remote sensor linking them to our central management system, letting us identify faults quickly and turn the lights on and off centrally as necessary.

Designated conservation areas are also included but will receive units in keeping with the unique character of the area.

The lights will not have their operating hours changed from the existing on/off schedules.

Please note that not all street lights belong to Essex Highways; some are owned by other councils or even private landowners. To find out more about the 128,000+ street lighting columns we are responsible for, please visit our other street lighting web pages.