AN INNOVATIVE two-year project has seen more than 13,000 streetlights across Worcestershire converted to LED as part of the County Council’s on-going £2million ‘Rapid LED Roll-Out’ programme.
To date, approximately 13,125 streetlights have been converted to LED, leaving less than 8,000 to complete the project this year. It will save energy, reduce carbon emissions, and reduce any impact on protected species such as bats.
The project includes installing bat friendly street lighting. In 2019, the council installed its first stretch of bat-friendly lights in what was believed to be a UK first.
The award-winning project in Warndon, Worcester, set a high benchmark not only in the county but also the country and beyond. Bat friendly street lighting has also been installed in Pershore, with further plans to introduce it on corridors in Evesham, Redditch, and Worcester.
Coun Richard Morris, cabinet member for the Environment at Worcestershire County Council, said: “We have invested an extra £6million in the 22/23 street lighting budget to enable the replacement of all non-led units to more energy efficient LEDs.
“The ‘bat friendly’ lights are part of this project and are a great example of evolving our LED’s to better suit the local environment. The amber and red lights being used may look a little different at first, but we would like to assure those using the area at night that the colour of the lights has been through rigorous safety checks.
“We know bats are an indicator of biodiversity health and so, if we protect our bats, we also protect the local environment.’’
Bat friendly streetlights see blue light removed and light intensity reduced, allowing bats to move freely between habitats, reducing the impact on general biodiversity.
The colour of street lighting on roads will vary as Worcestershire County Council has assessed the county for known conservation areas. They will be installing amber or red streetlights depending on potential for impact on biodiversity.
