Council’s lightbulb moment too ‘bright’

An ambitious plan by Wexford County Council to replace all public lighting in the county was outlined at the New Ross Municipal District meeting, at which Cllr Michael Sheehan said the lights in some estates are too bright for residents.

Cllr Michael Whelan asked what budget has been set aside for lighting in estates.

District director Eamonn Hore said: ‘We took out a €5m loan to replace every single light in the county to low post lights. In total there are about 40,000.’

6,000 lights have been refit over recent weeks and Mr Hore said the project is well advanced.

‘ The savings from the low cost lights frees up additional money to do new lights. Our area engineers are doing lists of where they are needed and they will prioritise based on need.’

The old mercury lights were changed first as they cost the council the most money to run.

‘We are going to have all of the lights finished by next year.’

Cllr Sheehan: ‘People whose had the lights in front of their house changed find them too bright. Maybe they’re not focussed in the right direction.’

Mr Hore said every light is designed to cast a particular type of light. ‘ In my 30 years (here) I’ve only heard a complaint like that once.’

Meanwhile Cllr Anthony Connick highlighted how lights on the Waterford Road are covered by branches. ‘You can’t see anything from most of the lights in the trees. Surely when they put them up they would have said something.’

Mr Hore said: ‘ The company who put them up specialises in putting up lights not cutting trees. It would be a separate contractor.’

Cllr Connick said: ‘I’m not asking for the trees to be cut down but surely they can be cut back.’