ONLY a third of Penarth’s Victorian lamp posts in line to be replaced are still standing, the council has confirmed.

Victorian street lights across the town have been replaced with new modern LED units as the council says they’re structurally or electrically dangerous.

As the Penarth Times previously reported, more than 1,100 people have signed a petition founded by resident Gemma Crutchley to save the Victorian lamp posts, fearing a “loss of valuable historic character from the streetscape in Penarth”.

They have been joined by artists, politicians and other figures, including artist Haf Weighton and the Assembly Member for Cardiff South and Penarth, Vaughan Gething.

In March, the Conservative administration agreed to pause the replacements after agreeing with Labour to review the “wisdom and cost effectiveness” of the scheme – in exchange for opposition councillors voting their budget through.

Vale of Glamorgan Council leader John Thomas has confirmed just 23 of the 68 cast-iron lamp columns scheduled for replacement were still standing as of April 26.

He told a full council meeting the LED replacement units currently being used cost £75 per unit, while replacing the Victorian lamp posts with a similar type of unit would cost £500 per unit.

Cllr Thomas said: “We always look to fit LED lamp units on any new columns. If these columns hadn’t been removed public safety could have been compromised due to the seriousness of the corrosion damage on many of the column heads.”

Councillor Lis Burnett, who represents Penarth, told the outgoing leader “there has been widespread concern in the town over the removal of these lamp posts” and asked for a review of the “wisdom and cost effectiveness” of replacing the lamp posts to be published.