As part of the contract, 17,500 streetlights will be replaced in Poole with energy efficient LED lanterns and integrated central management system (CMS). This will involve the installation of 8,500 lanterns on existing lamp posts between November 2015 and March 2016 and the replacement of the remaining 9,000 complete lamp posts over the next two to three years.

The 10 year maintenance contract will begin in April 2016 with a possible extension of two years after the original term. During the contract, VolkerHighways will provideongoing maintenance of the street lighting stock for both Bournemouth Borough Council and Borough of Poole. Services will include routine maintenance and cleaning, fault repairs, electrical testing, structural testing and painting of the public lighting stock.

The newly-installed LED lanterns in Poole will be controlled by a centrally operated CMS which directly monitors the lights for maintenance issues as well as dim or turn them off if required. The system is expected to produce around £350,000 of savings per year once installation is complete.

David Easton, VolkerHighways lighting business manager said: “We are delighted to start working with the Borough of Poole to deliver this new phase of investment into energy efficient lighting as well as working with Bournemouth Borough Council to maintain their existing lighting stock.

“VolkerHighways has a long standing reputation in street light installation and maintenance and currently maintains over 160,000 street lights across our UK contracts. This adds to the highways maintenance work we currently undertake for local authorities across London and the south east.”

Julian McLaughlin, Head of Transportation Services, Borough of Poole, said: “We are pleased to be able to progress this significant project, especially as two-thirds of the street lighting infrastructure in Poole is currently aged beyond its design life of 25 years. We look forward to working with VolkerHighways and are confident that they will deliver this project to the highest standards.”

Cllr Ian Potter, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Transportation, Borough of Poole, said: “This is one of the largest investments in Poole’s infrastructure in recent years. We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment and this project has the potential to save approximately 70 per cent on our street lighting energy consumption in addition to annual savings on maintenance costs.”