Streets get the green light

THE first new columns are being installed as part of a major project to replace and upgrade Oldham’s street lights.

A large proportion of the 23,000 street lights and 3,500 illuminated traffic signs, bollards and subway lights across the borough will be replaced by new energy-efficient lighting over the next five years.

The joint Private Finance Initiative (PFI) project between Oldham and Rochdale Councils and energy company E.ON is one of the largest metropolitan schemes of its kind.

The work includes the installation of a new high-tech remote monitoring system, which allows lights to be dimmed at off-peak periods, cutting consumption.

The remote system also problems or failed lights to be identified immediately.

Residents in St Mary’s ward are the first to benefit.

Greg Watson, E.ON’s PFI manager in Oldham and Rochdale, said: “The investment locally is a blueprint for local authorities across the country, delivering considerable reductions in energy consumption and costs while keeping the lights on and streets safe.”