Bosses at County Hall are facing calls to scrap its money-saving scheme to switch off street lights after being slammed for lack of communication around the project.

Last week more than 20 street lights along Dussindale Drive, between South Hill Road and Green Lane North, were switched off as part of Norfolk County Council's drive to make £46m in cuts and savings.

County councillor for Thorpe St Andrew, Ian Mackie, wants a more thorough consultation carried out after being contacted by multiple locals who feel they have not been properly informed about the news. 

He said: "I'm very disappointed about the way this so-called consultation has taken place.

More than 20 street lights in Dussindale, between Fiennes Road and Plumstead Road East, have been turned offMore than 20 street lights in Dussindale, between Fiennes Road and Plumstead Road East, have been turned off (Image: Google Maps)

"I'm calling for the plans to be halted immediately until a full consultation is carried out and all options are assessed.

"A generic email, not addressed to a particular area, and survey of the Norfolk Citizens panel, is insufficient to make a huge decision on such a populated area like Dussindale.

"It's not a viable consultation for residents or councillors in my opinion.

"This may explain why no other councillor, resident, or the town council responded during the consultation. 

Thorpe St Andrew councillor, Ian Mackie, is calling for the plans to be halted immediately until a full consultation is carried outThorpe St Andrew councillor, Ian Mackie, is calling for the plans to be halted immediately until a full consultation is carried out (Image: Ian Mackie)

"My biggest concern is the northern part of Dussindale is heavily used by people taking public transport and people entering and exiting the Dussindale estate.

"So, common sense suggests that a consultation which receives no feedback about such a matter wasn’t sufficient in the first place.

"It's not been well publicised. People are really unhappy about this so I'll do my best to have it overturned."

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The street lights, in red, have been turned off as part of the county council's plan to save moneyThe street lights, in red, have been turned off as part of the council's plan to save money (Image: Norfolk County Council)

AREAS OF DE-ILLUMNIATION

The public consultation for the so-called "de-illumination" project was published online on February 15.

A spokeswoman for Norfolk County Council said: "A formal consultation took place on the proposal to switch off 2pc of streetlights across Norfolk, in areas where it was considered safe and appropriate to do so.

"This included a number of roads in Thorpe St Andrew which were listed as part of this proposal and results showed broad support from respondents.

"The council is also facing significant budget pressures and switching off lights contributes significantly to the planned savings for the current financial year.

"All areas of de-illumination are being done on trial basis and will be closely monitored to ensure we don't see any negative impacts on the local areas affected. 

"We do understand the local concerns raised about this location, therefore, we will be bringing forward the planned review to the coming weeks."

Another set of street lights nearby, along Plumstead Road East between South Hill Road and Green Lane North, have been set to turn off at midnight.

Another set of street lights nearby, along Plumstead Road East between South Hill Road and Green Lane North, have been set to turn off at midnightAnother set of street lights nearby, along Plumstead Road East between South Hill Road and Green Lane North, have been set to turn off at midnight (Image: Google Maps)

A £45M SAVINGS PLAN

In February this year Norfolk County Council set its budget, proposing to turn off 1,000 street lights along 33 Norfolk roads to save money.

The Conservative-controlled council said power bills are rising and switching off 2pc of its 54,000 street lights will save up to £200,000 a year.

It would also cut carbon emissions by an annual 76 tonnes.

The identified roads make up 1.35pc of the 2pc target, with the remaining ones subject to further consultation.

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Other proposals included the closure of recycling centres on Wednesdays and changing the hours, and introducing pre-booking, at Norfolk Record Office.

Officials said the areas were picked to have minimal impact on drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, with police and emergency services consulted to ensure changes will not increase crime.

County Hall, which has previously switched off lights for part of the night at other locations across Norfolk, says it is spending about £4m a year on street lights - and the energy crisis had doubled its costs.

  • Councillor Mackie asked those wishing to object to the plans to email streetlighting.pt@norfolk.gov.uk.