FOI Request - Streetlights

Request 101003329535 

Can you please respond with the following:-

1.      Please publish the environmental and health impact assessments carried out prior to the decision to change streetlights in Forres and Elgin to LED streetlights at no charge,  as the streetlights are putting out white light which is unnatural and has been proven to be damaging for insects and human health.

2.      The council have spent grant money,  must any of this be paid back in order to change the existing streetlights to LED under the name of “climate change”.  A thorough risk assessment would have taken place to ascertain how much this programme would have contributed to this goal, (hence the question: Please outline how much CO2 Moray Council believes that it has saved from being released into the atmosphere by the programme of replacement of the LED lights).

Cost/benefit risk assessments would have been carried out prior to the decision to change streetlights in Forres and Elgin to LED streetlights. Please publish along with the documentation which facilitated the decision-making – this would be relating to CO2 savings, and the cost/benefit risk analysis -  without charge.

3.      Can you demonstrate savings in electricity use from 2015 – 2022 further to putting up the streetlights?

4.      Please publish the LED street lantern models, and specification sheets, for the LED street lanterns which have been erected across Forres and Elgin. The Council must hold this information.

Response 23-06-2023

1. Not held. Information not available. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.

2. The LED replacement project did not come under the name of "climate change". The project is part of the Moray Council's Capital plan with spend to save. It was also prompted by EU directive 2005/32/EC with replacement lamps and parts for old lighting stock becoming harder and more expensive to procure, prior to being out of production and use no longer permitted.

Energy saved annually:  KWH saved 4,240,264.01 , annual tonnes of CO2 saved 2104.6974

Please see LED spend to save FAQ's  - http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_105985.html

3. Energy saving as above (Q. 2).

4. We have approximately 137 lantern variations. The major manufacturers and luminaire model types used are Thorn – R2L2 / Urbis – Mini Ampera. Product information and specifications are available on manufacturer web sites.