Let there be light – and there was – 20 new street lamps have now been installed in Central Park.
The new lamp columns have been put up along paths through the park from Alma Road, running between the putting green and the playground before crossing onto Jubilee Row down towards Barn Park corner.
It means there will be a well-lit east to west route across the city’s biggest park as well as the existing north south route for walkers, strollers, joggers, skaters, pram pushers and cyclists.
Cabinet Member for Transport, Councillor Jonathan Drean said: “Central Park is hugely popular and we want people to feel safe. While spring is around the corner, it still gets dark fairly early. We hope these lights will encourage more people to walk or cycle across the park.
“Our Active Travel programme is all about small measures that can make a big difference to get more people walking and wheeling instead of driving. What better way to do this than by investing in street lights in Central Park?”
Councillor Rebecca Smith, chair of Plymouth’s Violence Against Women and Girls Commission added: “Members of the VAWG Commission were very keen to ensure this popular park was better lit to help people feel safer. It’s great to see this has now happened – especially more lights near the clock tower, which we raised as a particular issue.
The lights are LED and to help mitigate the impact of light on nocturnal species, two bat boxes are being installed.
This project cost £117,000, with £95,000 from the Government’s Active Travel Fund which is designed to help Plymouth’s walking and cycling network be more connected, direct, safe, comfortable and attractive. The remainder comes from the Central Park improvement budget.
Western Power are finalising the project and the lights now come on at dusk.