Battersea Park to have lamp-posts upgraded with eco-friendly bulbs to save money and cut carbon

Hundreds of lamp-posts in Battersea Park are being upgraded with eco-friendly LED light bulbs to save tax payers money and help the environment.

This latest park improvement project comes just days after the unveiling of the approved new design for the park’s toddler and junior playground where work is set to begin in September on a £250,000 upgrade.

As well as using less energy and therefore offering lower running costs, the LED lights will last longer than traditional equivalents and so will deliver additional savings on maintenance and replacement costs.

As part of the project all the park’s heritage style lamp-posts will also be refurbished and repainted.

The scheme will take about 12 weeks to complete and is being carried out as part of a £340,000 investment in the park’s infrastructure.

This latest spend brings the council’s investment in play areas across Wandsworth to more than £1m over the past three years

The lighting upgrade will also help ensure that Battersea Park remains a safe place for visitors during the hours of darkness.

This is especially important for the many people who walk through the park to and from work.

LED bulbs have already been fitted to more than 18,000 street lights across the borough and to the more than 3,000 on Wandsworth’s housing estates.

Cllr Kim Caddy, Wandsworth’s climate change and sustainability spokesman, said: “These eco-friendly LEDs are not only much more energy efficient when compared to traditional lightbulbs but they last a lot longer too.

“And because they use much less energy they will help us meet our climate change targets by reducing our carbon emissions.”

Cllr Steffi Sutters, parks and open spaces spokesman, said: “I’m delighted that Battersea Park’s heritage lamp-posts are being refurbished and restored to their former glory.

“It is important as custodians of the park that we protect and preserve these important historical features for future generations.

“And the reduction in their running and maintenance costs will free up money in our parks budgets that could be spent on other open space improvements.”

To find out more about the council’s actions to tackle climate change visit www.wandsworth.gov.uk/climatechange.