Column Mounted Festive Decoration Policy

2021 - 2026

Interim Executive Director.

Environmental, Property and IT Services.

5 October 2021. (date of approval)

IMAGE: The Orkney Islands Council crest appears above the words “ORKNEY ISLANDS COUNCIL”.

Document Control & Council Approval

Contents

• Column Mounted Festive Decoration Policy — 1
• Document Control & Council Approval — 2
• Policy — 5
• Procurement of new decorations — 5
• Permission — 5
• Specification — 5
• Maintenance — 7
• Testing and Inspection — 7
• Storage — 8
• Insurance — 8
• Payment of Electricity — 8

Introduction

Currently the Council erects, maintains and stores 123 festive decorations on behalf of the several Community Councils in 6 different parishes, as follows:

• 50 in Firth.
• 16 in Holm.
• 11 in Orphir.
• 12 in Sandwick.
• 15 in South Ronaldsay.
• 19 in Stenness.

All costs associated with this have been met from the Roads Revenue Festive Lighting Budget.

The Council no longer provides additional festive decorations: it is the responsibility of the Community Council or Community Association to purchase, erect, maintain and store their own. All decorations erected on the streetlight columns must be approved by the Council’s Roads Services. The only cost to the Council is for the electricity supply.

Policy

From 2021 Community Councils and community groups, hereafter referred to as the applicant, will be responsible for all future maintenance, erection and storage of the decorations and associated electrical fittings. Existing decorations will be replaced with new units that meet the appropriate specification. The old decorations will be returned to the relevant Community Council to do so as they wish on the proviso that they are not erected on the road network.

Procurement of new decorations

The Council will facilitate the purchase of new decorations in 2021. There is a selection of decorations available at reasonable cost which includes bracket mounted or column wraps. Roads and Environmental Services will engage with the applicant to determine their preference.

After this initial purchase in 2021, the applicant will be responsible for any future bulk replacement and/or additional lighting at no cost to the Council.

Permission

The applicant will be required to request permission from the Council to erect decorations on street light columns. The following must be supplied to the Council for approval.

1. Number of decorations.
2. Location of decorations.
3. Specification of decorations including but not limited to size, windage, wattage and material.
4. Details of how they will be erected, removed and maintained.
5. Details of public liability insurance.

The Council reserves the right to reject or remove any installation on the network on the grounds of safety.

Specification

Siting on column

No decorations shall be sited on columns which already support lit road signage or warning sign.

No decoration shall interfere with or obstruct access for structural or cyclic maintenance to any part of the column or lantern.

Decorations must be located at least 1 metre below the Road lantern.

There is no maximum size of decoration however they must be erected at least 500 millimetres from the road edge and be fitted 2.5 metres above the footway.

Decorations should be fitted to the roadside of the column (front). Where this is not possible the decoration may be fitted to the rear of the column.

IMAGE: Figure 1 shows festive light siting requirements around a streetlight column. The diagram labels the column, lantern, socket, footway/verge and carriageway. It shows a decoration fitted to the front of a column, at least 500 mm from the road edge and 2.5 m above the footway/verge. It also shows rope lights fitted to a column, with the decoration at least 1 m below the lantern, the socket at least 3 m above the footway/verge, and the lower fitting height marked as 2.5 m.

Figure 1 - Festive light siting requirements

Windage

Maximum windages for a 6 metre column is 0.35m² and for 8 metre column is 0.25m².

Weight

Decorations must not weigh more than 10 kilograms.

Material

All decorations must be aluminium or galvanised.

Electrical Supply

All electrical supplies must comply with the requirements of the current version of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) Wiring Regulations.

Protective earthing must be maintained and a 30mA Residual Current Device (RCD) shall be installed at the point of origin.

All external electrical sockets must be sited at least 3 metres above the footway/verge.

All parts of the electrical installation must be at least IP66 rated and ensure that no water can ingress into the Streetlight Column.

Wattage

Maximum 55 watt, however this should be reduced where possible.

Rope lights should be LED Platinum, specifically for use on outdoor features with 30 LED per metre, 12 millimetres diameter and 4W/m² (Watt per square meter). Various other accessories are required include end caps, glue etc and must be compatible with the LED rope light. The rope light should be one continuous length with as few joints as possible.

Supplier

There is no preferred supplier provided the specification set in this policy is met.

Months of use

Festive Decorations may be in place from 1 November and must be removed as soon as is practicable following the festive period, however no later than 31 January.

Works to install lighting may begin before November but they must not be connected until 1 November.

Column wraps are excluded from this provided planning permission has been granted for these to remain in place all year round.

Maintenance

The applicant will be responsible for on-going costs associated with maintenance of decorations and brackets, repairs to rope lights and storage of materials when not in use. They will also be responsible for the replacement of any damaged decoration.

The Council will remove any decorations that are dangerous and recover all reasonable costs associated with removal or repair from the applicant.

Where streetlight columns are replaced, the Council will undertake all works necessary to relocate the decoration and fitting onto the new column at no cost to the applicant.

All works undertaken on the public road must comply with Safety at Street and Road Works: A code of practice 2013.

Testing and Inspection

All installations must be inspected and tested prior to commissioning in accordance with the IET’s Guidance Note 3: Inspection and Testing.

Any rope lights left in place over the summer months must be fully inspected prior to the start of the festive period.

All inspection, testing and maintenance must be undertaken by a competent person.

A certificate for the installation must be submitted to the Council prior to fully energizing the decorations.

The Council reserves the right to disconnect and/or remove any decoration which may be deemed a hazard to the public or Council staff.

Storage

The applicant is responsible for the storage of all decorations.

Insurance

The applicant must have the relevant liability insurance which covers the installation of the lighting (which might be at height), along public liability insurance for the full duration of the time the lighting is in place not just for the installation.

Payment of Electricity

The Council will pay for all ongoing cost for the electricity supply.