Should gas lamps be extinguished? (From Malvern Gazette)

Should gas lamps be extinguished?

9:30am Wednesday 2nd December 2009 in News

A MALVERN Wells parish councillor wants to see the area’s historic gas lamps extinguished after concerns about their cost.

Barrie Knibb believes £29,000 per year for the gas and maintenance of the Wells’ 48 lamps make them an expensive burden on council tax payers.

He said: “It’s totally inadequate lighting, costing an astronomical amount. One of my suggestions is to keep them in pristine condition but do not turn them on. Let the highways department take responsibility for illuminating the roads.”

The lamps, some of which date back 150-years and are listed by English Heritage, are a well known draw for tourists and are often referred to as the inspiration behind lamps in C S Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The cost of their upkeep is split between the various parish councils and Malvern Hills District Council, a system that caused controversy earlier in the year when MHDC demanded “top-up” bills worth £2,837.

Cllr Knibb said: “Yes, they’re a part of history, but how many people come at night to see them illuminated?

“They’re about 20 per cent efficient in producing light. They are listed but we cannot clarify whether the listing includes them actually running.”

Fellow parish councillor Jim Black, who sits on a gas lamps working party, said: “The big problem with them is the costs involved.”

Cllr Black said it would be up to residents of Malvern Wells to decide on the future of the lamps.

“We have booked a spot in the next parish magazine and we’re going to write some sort of questionnaire which allows parishioners to state their preferences,” he added.