The subject of the 2023 Warkworth Christmas Lights has been discussed at every parish council meeting since April of this year. The minutes of these meetings are available on the Parish Council website and on the Parish Council noticeboards, and reference has also been made to this matter in The Pelican on several occasions.
The subject was initially raised by a member of the public who expressed concerns about the lights being left in the trees all year round. Members agreed the dangling wires from the trees did not look good and could present a hazard, and that it was time to look at the alternatives, including taking the lights down each year and to not having lights in the trees, but having some other solution.
An approach was made to a specialist company who made a visit and put forward a proposed solution for decorations attached to lamposts. Advice was then sought from the Street Lighting Team at NCC, who advised that the proposed decorations were not suitable for the existing heritage lighting columns due to weight and windage restrictions and therefore they could not give the PC a licence to attach anything to the columns without a full non-destructive structural test of each column being carried out.
The Parish Council put forward a suggestion for the spiral LED lights on the poles which was within the design tolerances for the existing lighting columns. NCC installed new power outlets and adaptors and also installed new cabling to replace previously non compliant cabling for the Christmas tree. This was discussed and agreed by the Parish Council, as documented in the minutes.
Members will continue to look at further developments for the Christmas lights for next year, and suggestions from the community are welcomed.