Path side light beams being blocked out by tree branches No 3

The request was partially successful.

Dear Essex County Council,

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/pa...

Further to this link above about the the lights in Central Park Admirals Park and West Park will have the same problem despite your efforts and drawing diagrams and really specific instructions about the light beams and not just the lamps.
It will be particularly bad at the Writtle end of West Park (now been changed to Admirals Park very confusing)
There were a few twigs cut away aroung the lamp heads but that is all and there will still be large areas of pitch black in Central Park.
Apart from the see and be seen safety aspect it is a utter waste of electricity.
I have tried to email the person who sent the diagram/email to the CBC tree officer but have had no reply to all of them.
I contacted your control centre and verified his email address.
I realise you should be able to rely on CBC to know what should be done but I would have thought that if you need to draw the tree officer a diagram I would not assume he was the sort of person you could trust to do it.

Would you tell me what correspondence there has been between CBC and ECC since and including October 2011 and also any until this request is answered and completed.
This would be about anything to do with parks I have mentioned and cycle track/path lights and trees/branches
This will show what the level of cooperation there is as i do not think there should have to be Freedom of Information questions having to be made to get this simple thing done.

Yours faithfully,

Paul Sargent

Your Right To Know, Essex County Council

Mr Sargent,

Your Freedom of Information Request:

Thank you for your request for information, which was received by Essex
County Council on 18 April 2012 and given the reference ECC-020235-12.

Your request is covered by the Freedom of Information Act, under which
we must respond within 20 working days.

We will determine and let you know whether we hold the information you
have requested and consider whether it is exempt from disclosure. Under
certain circumstances we may charge for providing information, but we
will let you know before we do any work that would incur a charge.

Please contact me if you would like further advice or assistance about
your request or your right to access information held by Essex County
Council.

Yours sincerely

Ruth Byford
On behalf of ISIS
Internal Audit & Risk Management
Telephone: 08457 430430
Fax: 01245 436603
E-mail: [email address]

show quoted sections

Mark Ralling Assistant Business Services Partner - ESH, Essex County Council

2 Attachments

  • Attachment

    image002.jpg

    4K Download

  • Attachment

    Obstructed lighting units in Admirals Park Chelmsford..html

    4K Download

Dear Mr Sargent

 

Thank you for your request of 18^th April. I am pleased to provide the
following information which I believe satisfies your request.

 

I have been informed that there was no correspondence between Essex County
Council Street Lighting and Chelmsford Borough Council from October 2011
apart from the attached request to cut back any foliage

 

 

You may reuse all or part of his information free of charge in any format
or medium.  You must reuse it accurately and not in a misleading context

 

Please contact me if you would like further advice or assistance about
your request or your right to access information held by Essex County
Council.

 

If you are not satisfied with my response to your request, please let me
know.  If I am unable to resolve the issue immediately, I will explain our
complaints procedure.

If, after following our complaints procedure, you are still not satisfied,
you are entitled to ask the Information Commissioner to review our
decision.  You can contact him at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone 01625 545700.

 

Regards

 

Mark Ralling

Assistant Business Services Partner

Business Services & Strategy

Environment, Sustainability & Highways

 

Essex County Council

Telephone: 01245 437017, Extension: 51017

Email: [1][email address]

EssexWorks For a better quality of life

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]

Dear Mark Ralling Assistant Business Services Partner - ESH,
This explains the problem entirely. 6 months from ECC having to draw a diagram of what should be plain common sense CBC have done nothing.
No check to see if this has been done by ECC as you have said - no correspondence.
The diagram in November last year was for Central Park. I have explained as I did 18 months ago it is Central Park, West Park and Admirals Park. Of the 1.5 Km length of paths that have the problem about 150metres is Admirals Park.
Now "Tim" has sent an email about Admirals park only to one of your departments.
You are still treating this as though CBC parks department actually care about the lighting problem in the parks.
It is incredible that this is all on written record that I cannot get something as simple as this done after nearly 2 years.
I should not have even had to point this problem out at all.
I cannot see anything getting done this year now as it would be soon be work contravening of the Wildlife Act 1981 as birds are likely to nest.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Sargent

Dear Essex County Council
There has been nothing done by CBC to clear the beams and the last work done was to cut a few centimetres away from the light head itself in December nothing else. No work has been done as asked in ECCs letter of the 18th November last year.
The problems still exist for the whole length of Central, Admirals and West park as I have pointed out to you and CBC for over 2 years now.
Please could I have the correspondence between ECC and CBC councils about this situation please. This is for after the correspondence mentioned earlier in this request please.
If this needs to be another request please let me know and I will make one.
I realise this should not even have to be raised with you but it seems CBC is obviously refusing to do this and this is something that ECC must be ultimately responsible for I believe.
The lights are not shining on areas intended which is a safety issue and the lights coming on early and going off late is a waste of electicity.
I must point out it is very intimidating have to walk through dark areas with people consuming large amounts of alchohol in the Central park area especially.
Part of the path is so dark not one lamp head is visible at all.
Yours sincerely ,
P Sargent

Yours sincerely,

Paul Sargent

Dear Mark Ralling Assistant Business Services Partner - ESH,

Please tell me if I need to raise another request. If I hear nothing from ECC concerning this I will raise one on Monday.
I have been informed by CBC that the work was was carried out inaccordance with the ECC 18th November letter in December last year.
The light beams are restricted just as they were last year so this is plainly not true.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Sargent

Mark Ralling Assistant Business Services Partner - ESH, Essex County Council

Dear Mr Sargent,

I spoke to the Street Lighting team yesterday afternoon and was informed that there had been no further correspondence between Essex County Council and Chelmsford City Council since the answer dated 10th May 2012 provided in response to your last Freedom of Information request.

Regards

Mark Ralling
Assistant Business Services Partner
Business Services & Strategy
Environment, Sustainability & Highways

Essex County Council
Telephone: 01245 437017, Extension: 51017
Email: [email address]
EssexWorks For a better quality of life

EW7

show quoted sections

Dear Mark Ralling Assistant Business Services Partner - ESH,
The last email as attached to the10th May response was an internal ECC email. Does your 8th June reply mean that nobody has contacted CBC following on from this internal email. This email only mentions Admirals Park and it is and always has been Central Park and West Park. If there has been any sort check or request made since the 18th November last year that the work would be or has been done please could I have this information too.
If I need to make another request that asks about ECCs lack of power to make your lights effective and prevent waste of electricity and public funds after all this time please let me know.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Sargent

Mark Ralling Assistant Business Services Partner - ESH, Essex County Council

2 Attachments

  • Attachment

    Obstructed lighting units in Admirals Park Chelmsford..html

    14K Download

  • Attachment

    image004.jpg

    4K Download

Dear Mr Sargent,

 

Please see the attached e-mail which was sent to Tim Savage at Chelmsford
following which a member of the Street Lighting team had a telephone
conversation with Mr Savage this included that concerns had been raised
regarding the parks in general.

 

A member of Street Lighting team will arrange to walk through the parks to
determine whether they foresee any issues with the trees and lighting
units.

 

Regards

 

Mark Ralling

Assistant Business Services Partner

Business Services & Strategy

Environment, Sustainability & Highways

 

Essex County Council

Telephone: 01245 437017, Extension: 51017

Email: [email address]

EssexWorks For a better quality of life

 

EW7

 

show quoted sections

Dear Mark Ralling Assistant Business Services Partner - ESH,

Thankyou for your prompt reply. However the cutting back of large amounts of trees needed are the sole responsibility of Park services at Chelmsford Borough Council whom you sent the 18th November email to with explicit instructions. Therefore you (Lighting) must know this.
They have acknowledged they received it but have taken no action.
I say again Admirals Park is the least of the problem as it is 100metres of over a kilometre length. Central Park and West Park are the problem.
As for sending someone through the parks to check this ECC lighting engineer P**** St***n has been doing this for the last 2 years and still parks services have taken no action.
It seems also that it has been a month since the contact with the wrong department entirely at Chelmsford council. safer Communities has nothing to do with this issue
I asked about the contact you had with CBC a month ago and was not told about this contact with whic I did ask for.
Have ECC lighting not had any reply from CBC for over a month about this and no follow up after 2 years of this to see why ?
I ask again why should I as a park user have to spend 2 years at trying to get someone to take wholistic responsibility for such a simple health and safety and waste of money issue.
I know of course ECC should not have to get involved with this but if CBC park services show no duty of care and you have no power to make them cut back the trees from the lights should you not get contractors in and charge CBC for the work. As you would a housholder for instance if they were obstructing the highway in some way ?

When I telephoned you recently you said you ( I presume you mean ECC) had no power to make CBC clear the light beams you could only ask them that was all. If this is true please confirm this to be the case.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Sargent

Dear Mark Ralling Assistant Business Services Partner - ESH,

Please tell me if you do not intend answering me and I will then need to raise another request.
This may be the best course of action anyway but please let me know.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Sargent

Mark Ralling Assistant Business Services Partner - ESH, Essex County Council

Dear Mr Sargent

 

Thank you for your request of 11^th June. I am pleased to provide the
following information which I believe satisfies your request

 

I asked about the contact you had with CBC a month ago and was not told
about this contact with which I did ask for.

 

I apologise for not informing you of the additional e-mail sent to
Chelmsford that same day 9^th May which I would have included had I been
aware that a further e-mail had been sent.

  

 

Have ECC lighting not had any reply from CBC for over a month about this
and no follow up after 2 years of this to see why ?

 

Since our last communication dated 9^th may 2012 with Chelmsford City
Council (CBC at the time), we have not had any further direct contact or
received any form of written communication from them regarding the issues
with lighting in the parks. As the responsibility for the tree pruning is
not Essex County Councils and were advised that CCC have routine
maintenance in the parks, that check the growth of the foliage we believe
the issue would be dealt with be the relevant persons, therefore is not
something that we have chased.

 

 

When I telephoned you recently you said you (I presume you mean ECC) had
no power to make CBC clear the light beams you could only ask them that
was all. If this is true please confirm this to be the case.

 

The only powers ECC would have over CCC to force them to carry out
trimming of the trees would be to quote the Highways Act to them, however
following a recent walk through the parks by our lighting engineer none of
the lanterns are fully engulfed by the trees.

 

It has been noted that a number of the lighting units may have the
illumination disrupted due to trees to the sides of the lanterns blocking
the light fall on the footpath this is something that will continually
occur when the trees reach full bloom every year. We do however intend on
contacting Park Services within CCC and request a meeting on site to walk
through and request specific trimming is carried out to alleviate the
problem.

 

With regards to the minimum standard being met for the lighting in
throughout the parks; the columns have been installed for over 20 years
and would have been designed to the relevant standards at the time, since
their installation ECC have maintained the luminaires and upgraded the
equipment through routine maintenance and replacements due to vandalism

 

 

You may reuse all or part of his information free of charge in any format
or medium.  You must reuse it accurately and not in a misleading context

 

Please contact me if you would like further advice or assistance about
your request or your right to access information held by Essex County
Council.

 

If you are not satisfied with my response to your request, please let me
know.  If I am unable to resolve the issue immediately, I will explain our
complaints procedure.

If, after following our complaints procedure, you are still not satisfied,
you are entitled to ask the Information Commissioner to review our
decision.  You can contact him at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone 01625 545700.

 

Regards

 

 

Mark

 

Mark Ralling

Assistant Business Services Partner

Business Services & Strategy

Environment, Sustainability & Highways

 

Essex County Council

Telephone: 01245 437017, Extension: 51017

Email: [1][email address]

EssexWorks For a better quality of life

 

 

 

show quoted sections

Dear Essex County council
The reason for this FOI is to get the lights to shine on areas intended as was requested by ECC on 18th November last year. The letter was quite explicit and ECC took the trouble to even draw diagrams and explain that the light beams were important and not to just clear the light heads.
I have walked through the park and it is worse than even last year with pitch black areas of path because the light beams are still restricted by another years growth. Minor trimming was carried out in December last year but not what was requested.
Your reference to this situation being normal when trees are in full bloom each year is not what should be expected as an answer. If this was true why the letter with diagrams about light beams and surely pruning should not be just to cater for half a years growth
It is the beginning of the growing season and the branches another 4 or 5 months of growth and any work done in December last year would surely be expected to last more than 5 months.

Please conduct an internal review into this request

mainly because there is conflicting information about what was needed to be done in the letter and diagrams of 18th Novemer 2011 and now all that matters is the lamp heads are not totally engulfed by the trees.
I have taken a set of photos of all the lamps concerned last autumn and today with the lamp heads growing right up into the trees for future reference.
I have photos of lamps coming on in broad daylight and staying on after it is light. I will send you them if it helps to put this problem in perspective.
The other thing that concerns me is that all is talked about this year is Admirals Park and the problem is Central and West Park.

Yours faithfully,

Paul Sargent

Mark Ralling Assistant Business Services Partner - ESH, Essex County Council

Dear R Sargent,

 

Thank you for your request for an Internal Review, which was received by
Essex County Council on 21^st June.

 

Your request is covered by the Freedom of Information Act, under which we
must respond within 20 working days from the date of your request.

 

Mark

 

Mark Ralling

Assistant Business Services Partner

Business Services & Strategy

Environment, Sustainability & Highways

 

Essex County Council

Telephone: 01245 437017, Extension: 51017

Email: [1][email address]

EssexWorks For a better quality of life

 

show quoted sections

Mark Ralling Assistant Business Services Partner - ESH, Essex County Council

1 Attachment

  • Attachment

    Internal Review underatken on behalf of the Head of Essex Highway Maintenance Operations.doc

    22K Download View as HTML

Dear Mr Sargent,

 

Thank you for your request of 21^st June. I am pleased to provide the
attached information which I believe satisfies your request.

 

The attached Internal Review was undertaken on behalf of the Head of Essex
Highways & Operations

 

You may reuse all or part of his information free of charge in any format
or medium.  You must reuse it accurately and not in a misleading context

 

Please contact me if you would like further advice or assistance about
your request or your right to access information held by Essex County
Council.

 

If you are not satisfied with my response to your request, please let me
know.  If I am unable to resolve the issue immediately, I will explain our
complaints procedure.

If, after following our complaints procedure, you are still not satisfied,
you are entitled to ask the Information Commissioner to review our
decision.  You can contact him at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone 01625 545700.

 

Regards

 

Mark

 

Mark Ralling

Assistant Business Services Partner

Business Services & Strategy

Environment, Sustainability & Highways

 

Essex County Council

Telephone: 01245 437017, Extension: 51017

Email: [1][email address]

EssexWorks For a better quality of life

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

show quoted sections

Dear Mark Ralling Assistant Business Services Partner - ESH,
Please could I have information held on what work has been done following ECCs request to clear light beams in Central Park last month. Also what information held on any measure to make sure that any work done was effective in achieving the aim of park users being able to see and be seen and also stop the waste of electricity involved.
If this needs to be raised as another request please let me know.

There is even what the internal reviewer calls a day burner with the light only lighting up the inside of a tree in one case. Therefore by definition if the lamphead is lighting up the inside of a tree in full leaf in August the beam is not going to reach the area intended for park users to see and be seen.
For clarification there is no improvement whatsoever to the light beams involved in the stretch involved in the 18th November 2011 email from ECC. However there are very recently pruned small branches on the trees opposite to trees that actually do still need the pruning.
The branches pruned opposite the lights were not affecting the light beams in any way whatsoever.
The internal reviewer expressed surprise that this was not being sorted out on a more informal method.
The link below proves how this was not possible.
It took 5 months for ECC to realise they actually owned the light involved. Informal had been tried with neither council wanting anything to do with the lights cycle safety signs or any sort of meaningful cooperation and this still continues.

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/pa...

Yours sincerely,

Paul Sargent

Mark Ralling Assistant Business Services Partner - ESH, Essex County Council

Dear Mr Sargent,

 

Thank you for e-mail below dated 2^nd August, I can confirm that this will
be raised as a new request.

 

We will determine and let you know whether we hold the information you
have requested and consider whether it is exempt from disclosure.  Under
certain circumstances we may charge for providing information, but we will
let you know before we do any work that would incur a charge.

 

Your request is covered by the Freedom of Information Act, under which we
must respond within 20 working days from the date of your request.

 

Regards

 

Mark

 

Mark Ralling

Assistant Business Services Partner

Business Services & Strategy

Environment, Sustainability & Highways

 

Essex County Council

Telephone: 01245 437017, Extension: 51017

Email: [1][email address]

EssexWorks For a better quality of life

 

 

 

show quoted sections

Dear Mark Ralling Assistant Business Services Partner - ESH,
I did ask if this needed to be raised as another request to let me know not to just raise it.
I have always had my follow ups answered so thankyou.
However if this needs to be raised as another request this time then I will do so as a completely separate request and with more extensive questions about this issue not just as in my follow up. This will be on WDTK separately and this request is therefore finished, closed and may then go to the ICO.
Please do not continue with another request on this posting as this is not appropriate.
Please advise

Yours sincerely,

Paul Sargent

Dear Mark Ralling Assistant Business Services Partner -

Please reply to my concern about you raisng a request for me with the wording of just a follow up clarification question. Unless you intend, as I hoped, to act on the CCC park services blatent refusal to act on your request to clear the light beams in this request then consider please this request closed and my options as you have made clear I am then able to take as appropriate.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Sargent

Mark Ralling Assistant Business Services Partner - ESH, Essex County Council

Hi, I am now out of the office until Monday 6th August; my e-mails will not be monitored over this period. Regards Mark

Dear Essex County Council,

Please would you deal with this as my request is to ECC but it was being dealt with on behalf of ECC by Mark Railing. Please would you deal with this urgently as I need to progress this what should be a simple request which has still not been dealt with for over 2 years now.
if I need to make a new request it will be as I said a lot more extensive in its nature not the one assumed to be a new request. I have explained why I hoped this would be dealt with by my clarification update and is because I would have thought ECC woul d not want this to continue on indefinitely as it has done.

Yours faithfully,

Paul Sargent

Dear Essex County Council,

I have not had a reply and will raise a new (meta) request (no 4) on Monday. Please do not treat my follow up as a request as it will be a lot different after what has happened,or more to the point what did not happen, with this request.

Yours faithfully,

Paul Sargent