A Gisborne resident is fuming over new street lights installed in her estate that no longer match the heritage-look lamp poles beneath them.
Macedon Ranges Shire Council has replaced the light fittings on top of the poles in Jacksons Creek Estate with energy efficient LED lights, but resident Anne Moore says they look ridiculous.
“This is a disgrace, it has totally dragged down the overall visual character of the street with lamp lights that don’t match the colour of the pole they are upon and undermine the street character of the area,” Ms Moore told the Express.
Council’s director of assets and operations, Dale Thornton, explained the original light poles and fittings, which were installed on the estate more than 20 years ago, were no longer available and were no longer environmentally acceptable.
“Any replacement poles or fittings must be compatible with the existing poles or fittings and may not have the same look or design,” Mr Thornton said.
“This is why some of the heritage-look poles may have more modern-looking light fittings.”
But Ms Moore believes the council should have worked harder to maintain street character by ensuring the new lamps matched the existing infrastructure.
“I asked the council to explain why they have enabled these disgusting street light heads to be put in place without consideration to existing visual character being maintained, as opposed to replacement with appropriately manufactured LED powder-coated carriage lamps, or at a minimum bowl canopy lamps,” she said.
“The light out the front of my property also illuminates and invades my property boundary by greater than 17 metres.
“I did not choose to have my private space and wellbeing invaded by inappropriate street lighting.
“As it stands, once my property’s deciduous trees drop their leaves in autumn I am going to have street lighting impeding into my living spaces, which is not acceptable in any manner, shape or form.”
