BRAMLEY PARISH COUNCIL

A HISTORY OF STREET LIGHTING IN BRAMLEY

IN THE BEGINNING 1928 - 1930

A Special Parish meeting was held in the Village Hall on Friday 10 October 1928 “to consider the adoption of the Lighting and Watch Act 1833 for the whole Parish. Also to consider what amount should be spent on same for next 12 months”. The Assembly minutes then go on “After discussion it was proposed and seconded that the L & W Act be adopted for the whole Parish and that £50 be spent on same for 12 months”. That was the start of street lighting in Bramley.

The summary accounts for the general account showed Receipts and Balances (mainly precept) of £79. 19s.7d for that year and Expenditure of £57. 13s. 10d. and in 1930 the Lighting Account showed Receipts of £50 (the initial sum) and Expenditure of £16. 17s. 8d.

EARLY DEVELOPMENT 1930 - 1938

There was increased pressure to extend the coverage over the next few years, although a request for more lamps in 1931 was “turned down until the Electric Light Company extended cables for same”. Progress increased after that, as evidenced by Expenditure of £104 (1931), £59 (1932), £62 (1933) up to £118 (1939). There was clearly conflict as to the amount to spent on this major project, as Col. Fisher Rowe, under Chairmanship of Col. Ricardo proposed  that “street lighting should not exceed the penny rate for the whole Parish”. This resolution was repeated for each of the succeeding years until 1938 when the rate limit was increased to a “three half penny rate”.

WAR AND PEACE 1939 – 1952

With the start of WW2, such expenditure was curtailed, and little other than maintenance was undertaken until 1953. The War itself, followed by the Peace Celebrations, the refurbishment of the Village Hall (which had fallen into disrepair due to various war uses), and the Queen’s Coronation occupied the minds of the Council and the community.

EXTENSION OF COVERAGE 1953 - 1966

From 1953, the demands to extend the coverage increased, and the Parish Council first addressed Birtley Road (£120), then £173 (to include 3 lamps for Chestnut Way). The roll out continued, and by 1957, the Council agreed to erect an additional street light each year, with priority being given first to Snowdenham Lane, then Birtley Rise. The Coombes and Ricardo Court were next, followed in 1963 by “suitable lighting for the new building site at Hurst Hill” and a lamp to be erected “somewhere in the vicinity of Gosden Common”. In the meantime, Eastwood Road, Station Road and Barton Road had been equipped, and further lamps installed to improve coverage in various roads.

TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS 1967 – 1968

The Assembly minutes for 1967 report that “the Chairman gave a report at the meeting that a sub-committee had been set up to look into the question of lighting, particularly with regard to the A281. It had been decided that all the lamps along the A281 should be converted or replaced to provide Mercury lighting”. By 1968, the Chairman had reported that half the lights along the A281 had been converted, the second half to be completed in the coming year. Requests were also noted for new lights in Station Road, to replace those no longer provided at the Station.

THE BIG DECISIONS 1971 - 1974

In 1971, Parishioners were asked “to give their opinion in regard to the possibility of the sodium lighting in Shalford being extended to include Bramley. The majority of the meeting was against such action as it was generally desired that the village should maintain its rural character”. A request for improved lighting in Snowdenham Lane led to conversion to Mercury, which was then replicated at other locations over the next few years.

In 1974, the Chairman explained that “as from 1 April 1974 Surrey County Council would become the Lighting Authority but the Parish Council had opted to continue the administration of their own lighting arrangements in the hopes that this would in general protect the interests of the residents”.

CONSOLIDATION AND STABILITY 1975 – 2004

There then followed a period of virtually 30 years when little development took place, other than the addition of the occasional lighting column. Home Park Close and Windrush Close were developed by Waverley, who duly installed their own lighting, and this situation remains today.

REVIEW AND CHANGE 2005 - 2007

Two major projects arose around 2004/2005 – the Bramley Traffic Safety Scheme and the Review of the Bramley Conservation Area. With the need to improve traffic safety at junctions along the A281, and the requirement for more appropriate lighting for the Conservation Area, SCC and WBC between them contributed sufficient funds for the installation of 17 “urbis” style lights along the A281 and into Station Road. In relation to this the Parish Council undertook a survey of the state of all 65 light outlets in the village, the consequence being that the whole of the remainder would require replacement within a 2 – 3 year period.

It was agreed that the “Urbis” style lighting should be adopted for the whole of the A281, and also the cross routes of Station Road and Snowdenham Lane. By the Spring of 2007, these conventional style lights will have been installed from the top of Birtley Road right through to Clockhouse Lane, and From Wonersh bridge to the top of Snowdenham Lane. The Conservation area will thus be totally covered, and beyond.

FUTURE PLANS 2008 - 2010

The remaining 35 lights in the side roads now require replacing, at an overall cost of around £1000 each. A grant has been applied for from Waverley BC and depending on the success of this bid, the roll out programme will be completed in either 2 or 3 years, the Parish Council funding the remainder from the annual precept.

The community can then again look forward to a period of reliable and consistent modern street lighting in the village.

David Morley