A local politician is calling for lighting at a newly refurbished seafront space to be switched on, four years after it was first installed.
Brighton and Hove City Council has blamed UK Power Networks (UKPN) for the delay in getting the lighting along the boardwalks from Duke’s Mound to Black Rock – but UKPN says it’s been waiting for the go ahead from the council before starting work.
Liberal Democrat Robert Brown says hes been chasing on the issue for years now, and says it’s time they’re switched on before the clocks go back.
Mr Brown said: “This is a project that has left the community waiting in the dark for more than four years.
“At the time of its high-profile unveiling, city officials promised that over 100 low-level lighting units would be fitted and illuminated within weeks.
“Four years of waiting for operational switches on a completed asset is a bureaucratic failure that compromises public safety.
“While the council’s overarching Black Rock Rejuvenation Scheme explicitly promises public lighting to support the health and wellbeing of the community, sections of the eastern beachfront remain swallowed by seasonal darkness.”
The council’s cabinet member for the public realm Jacob Allen said: “The council has installed theses lights but, due to the inaction of UK Power Networks, we are currently unable to switch them on.
“The leader of the council, Councillor Bella Sankey, has intervened and written directly to senior management at UK Power Networks to outline how unacceptable this delay is and stress the urgency of a solution being found.
“As a result, we have recently received an updated plan from UK Power Networks, which we will review. However, UK Power Networks has told us it cannot guarantee it will be successful.
“This situation is not acceptable – not least given the clocks go back next month and evenings will become darker.
“We will continue to push UK Power Networks to provide a workable solution and explain in no uncertain terms that we expect the boardwalk lights to be on before the nights close in.”
A spokeswoman for UKPN said: “UK Power Networks has been working closely with a customer to plan the connection of lighting on Madeira Drive, Brighton.
“We provided a revised quotation on 17 July and we are awaiting the customer’s confirmation and payment to proceed.
“Our team is contacting the customer today to clarify whether they wish to proceed with the work.”
Fork ‘andles?
I’ve been raising the lack of lighting around Black Rock and the eastern seafront with Cabinet members for some time, because residents are quite rightly frustrated that infrastructure which has been installed still isn’t doing the job it was intended to do.
I’ve also previously put forward improved lighting for the Kemptown beach boardwalk as something I want to see addressed.
What concerns me about this latest report is that we now appear to have two different accounts of where the hold-up lies. Residents really shouldn’t have to referee a dispute between the council and UK Power Networks.
I’m pleased that the Leader and Cabinet Member are now pressing UKPN at senior level, but the important thing is getting this resolved.
I’ll continue raising this with Cabinet colleagues. Whoever needs to authorise, pay for or carry out the outstanding work needs to get on with it so these lights can finally be switched on.
“a local politician” who has never been elected to anything. Activist yes. Party spokesperson yes. Politician no.