Hampstead completes the rollout of Camden’s carbon-saving street lighting programme
Camden Council is set to complete its boroughwide plan to replace all its streetlights with carbon-saving LED lamps, which also bring significant savings to the public purse.
“The completion of our LED streetlighting project marks a significant point in the progress of our plans to do everything we can to make Camden a zero-carbon borough by 2030.
“In 2019 Camden declared a climate emergency. Put simply, this is the most serious threat that our planet, its people, and all forms of life face. Carbon dioxide emissions across the Council’s estate and operations have fallen 51% over the last 10 years, but we know we need to go further.
“The replacement of older, less efficient streetlights is an integral part of our ambitious five-year Climate Action Plan and the LED technology we are using provides advances that include energy and maintenance savings, along with greater lantern longevity and less light pollution.”
Just two percent of streetlights remain to be replaced, with roads in Hampstead completing the programme. Councillor Harrison attended Downshire Hill to see first-hand the new technology, and the very final locations include roads such as Vale of Health.
Since June 2020, the council has installed approximately 7,500 LED lights across Camden, which so far have reduced our street lighting’s carbon emissions by 30% and energy consumption (kWh) by 15%, as of October 2021. Where previously each lamp required 100 watts, now each run on just 30 watts.
The Council’s Climate Action Plan proposes a five-year programme of projects and activities around the themes of People, Places, Buildings and Organisations that build on the 17 2019 Citizens’ Assembly recommendations and bring to life the vision of a zero carbon Camden. This will be the first of two plans to 2030.
Councillor Harrison continued:
“In November 2021 we published our first annual review of the Climate Action Plan to provide an update on our progress.
“As well as taking the opportunity to refresh, where needed, the Plan to reflect the development of the climate programme, it contains our key achievements to date as well as a dashboard that shows the progress currently made against key commitments, a direct recommendation of the Camden Climate Citizens’ Panel.”