£20,000 has been spent on five new smart lights for a Carlisle park to help improve safety.
Cumberland Council has installed the lights with funding from the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, through the Government’s Hotspot Action Fund, in Portland Square Park.
The area has suffered from anti-social behaviour and crime and the park previously had no specific lighting.
The new lights turn on when they detect someone entering the park.
The project was led by the Local Focus Hub for the Carlisle Area. The hub is led and managed by Cumberland Council, and partners include Cumbria police, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, the probation service, social landlords, mental health services, and other partners as necessary.
It aims to collectively tackle antisocial behaviour and its causes.
Cllr Justin McDermott, Cumberland’s executive member for public health and communities, said: “It is part of a suite of improvements from partners and local residents. Together they create a safer and more welcoming environment for everyone who uses Portland Square Park.
“We have been working to improve safety with the police, the developer of adjacent properties, and people living in Portland Square. Residents themselves have invested in extending CCTV coverage at the park’s entrances.
“We also cut back trees to provide clear sightlines for the CCTV cameras, and brought the area into a Public Space Protection Order zone – allowing police and council officers to issue £100 on-the-spot fines for anti-social behaviour.”
Resident Chris McClelland said: “Since the new lights were installed, the change has been incredible.
“For the first time in a long while, the area feels warm and alive again. Walking home in the evenings now feels safer, calmer, and so much more reassuring.
“It’s given us a renewed sense of pride in our community, and it genuinely means a lot to know that our neighbourhood is being cared for.”
The lights were designed and installed by the council’s Highways Street Lighting team and vegetation was cut back by the Green Spaces team.
The local focus hub will continue to monitor the impact of the improvements, it said.
