New Lamps Columns on Hawkshead Street

We reported recently that Hawkshead Street will soon be getting new lighting columns to replace the old fashioned cast iron columns.  A number of residents responded to ask why the original columns cannot be retained and renovated, many commenting that this may be a more cost effective option.  I passed the question on to the Highway Team and received the following response:

Unfortunately, the short answer is they are beyond repair for the following reasons:

1)   They are structurally unstable due to dissimilar metals being used in the upper section of the column.

2)   Electrically, this equipment does not meet current safety regulations.

3)   The poor spacings and the height of the existing equipment make it impossible to attain any reasonable lighting uniformity from the installation.

So now you know.