To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to detail the number of street lights that her Department is proposing to remove from the Lenamore Area of Townscape Character, Jordanstown, including the locations.

Where street lighting columns are identified as unsafe or at high risk of failure, the Department must act quickly in the interests of public safety and remove or make safe the columns as a matter of urgency. In such cases, works are undertaken reactively and, where possible, contractors liaise with residents to minimise disruption. Where columns are identified as being at the end of their serviceable life and the location meets the criteria for a replacement scheme, residents are issued with advance notice of the planned works.

In relation to the Lenamore Area of Townscape Character, the Department is planning to remove all concrete columns which are at the end of their serviceable life. It would be extremely difficult to accurately estimate the cost of carriageway reinstatement in advance, as the extent of any damage is not known until a column is removed. Any reinstatement required is therefore treated as a necessary health and safety-related cost and paid as a re-measurable item following completion of the works.

The Department does not hold historical information on the installation, maintenance and repair costs of the LED street light upgrades and fixtures over the last 20 years, although I can confirm that the LED lanterns will be reused. I have asked officials to provide copies of the necessary reports detailing the condition of the street lighting system.