A contractor whose employees put two of Brighton’s heritage lanterns up for sale online will be responsible for removing lighting columns when a pilot scheme to restore them gets underway.
Colas apologised after the two lanterns, removed for safety reasons, ended up for sale on Facebook, blaming “uncharacteristic human error”.
It undertook the work as part of its contract with Brighton and Hove City Council to maintain all the city’s street lights.
Now, it will be moving the columns and returning them once refurbished, alongside the replacement lanterns, as part of the same arrangement.
A different contractor will be responsible for the refurbishment itself.
The decision has been criticised by Brighton and Hove Heritage Commission chair Roger Amarena, who said: “If Colas let two lanterns be advertised on Facebook for £550, how could they be trusted with the restoration?”
Brighton and Hove News revealed this week the pilot scheme to restore and replace five of the lamp posts would begin this autumn.
The lanterns have already been removed and will be replaced with new ones made using the same moulds which were used to make the existing lanterns in the 1980s.
These were replicas of the original 1893 lanterns, which were also replaced in the 1930s.
The columns are still the originals, but are all in a bad state of repair. Where possible, they will be restored by specialists.
In total, the project to complete all 83 lamp posts is set to cost £4 million.
The lighting element will be replaced with LED, but using a soft glow to mimic the original gas lights.
Alan Robins, the lead councillor for culture, said this week: “A project, which began in 2020, to restore the city’s iconic seafront lighting back to its former glory is entering an exciting new phase.
“We have a contractor on board now and are busy planning the restoration programme which is aimed to be completed next spring.
“They will remove the columns to be transported to specialist manufacturers before being handed back and placed back in their original positions.
“The project is being funded with a combination of money from the council’s carbon neutral fund, capital funding and money remaining from a project to install LED lights in the city’s streetlighting.”
Colas was approached for comment.
What a “council”.Is that all they’ve got to spend all that time and money on.
This is known as the ” weedy city”, the pothole city,and the drug capital of the UK. But we’ll have these street lights. So much for a new administration.
You couldn’t make it up.
Different funding streams Del, as I’ve explained to you before.
£48k per lamp post.
Bargain !!!
I’m clearly in the wrong business
Because of its a historical recreation, it has to be done using as much of the original methods and materials as possible, therefore this is much more expensive than using modern methods.
And you reckon that justifies £48k per lamp post!
It doesn’t HAVE to be done that way.
There are many modern manufacturing techniques that could accomplish this far more reasonably.
They are 8-10m in the air. Who would ever know.
While I’m all for keeping old skills alive, there’s a time and place.
Personally, nope. I do not believe it is a good use of money, however, there’s a legal obligation. I believe it is the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act off the top of my head.