The brief

Dorset County Council contacted us to initially replace existing corroded columns on the marine parade and footpaths in this historical harbour town. They requested special lighting units to fit in with the locality but also to uniquely identify the scheme.

The challenge

Request from pressure groups to produce a scheme which produced zero upward light from the lanterns. The consensus of local opinion was that the new scheme should be no brighter than the existing lighting.

Our solution

Our Ely B lantern was used from our urban classic range; using flat glass for zero upward light, and 100w lanterns were replaced with two 50w SON lanterns to light both roadway and footway (which were on split levels). Aluminium columns with Ammonite motif design and the Ely lantern continued the shape of the column bracket into a distinctive ‘french horn’ figure. This concept was conceived by the previous Lighting Engineer, Peter Pinkston.

This provided the IP protection needed for a coastal town (6,5), while the Diamond Optic® reflector system also reduced the light pollution, which was seen to be an emotive topic among the local population. Thus, we met both the lighting needs of the Town Council while also observing the pressure groups’ wishes.

The result

The British Astronomical Association has presented Dorset County Council with an award for their striking environmentally friendly streetlights. The scheme has been recognised by the BAA’s Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS) for efficiently illuminating the Marine Parade whilst reducing glare and preventing upward light pollution.