TAMWORTH’S city centre will have some added sparkle as Tamworth Regional Council begins the installation of new decorative lighting in Peel St.
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At Tuesday night’s meeting, councillors supported a motion to install high-quality LED lights in 16 trees in the centre of Peel St between Bourke and White streets.
Councillors were unanimous in their support and allocated up to $20,000 from the general fund to buy and install the lights.
From 8pm on Saturday and about 7am Sunday, Peel St will be closed between Fitzroy and White streets as the lights start to go in.
They will be installed to follow the line of trunk and tree branches to maximise the visual effect and minimise the chance of damage by traffic, birds or storms.
Further temporary road closures are expected, and will be announced, as works progress along Peel St in the coming weeks.
Cr Juanita Wilson moved a notice of motion at Tuesday’s meeting about the purchase of new lights, noting that in recent years, the permanent lights in the trees had been partially removed or damaged and some residents had asked about replacing them.
“These proposed LED lights will contribute to and highlight the Christmas season. Importantly, they will also be permanent, of a quality that will enable them to be used year-round, and also installed in a way that will highlight the treescape throughout the seasons,” she said.
“Of course, a further benefit is the atmosphere the lights will create, which will be a contribution to the night-time economy, which council views as crucial to the further development of our CBD.”
Cr Phil Betts said it was “absolutely imperative” the council install more lights, given Tamworth’s history.
“We don’t want to lose what Tamworth is – Tamworth is the city of light,” he said, referring to the city’s status as the first place in Australia to use electric streetlights.
“We need to look at maximising that marketing advantage.”
While Peel St attracted plenty of compliments about its appearance during the day, Cr Helen Tickle said, it had been described as “dull” once the sun went down.
She said new lights were a good start, but that council should explore further opportunities to enhance the area, endorsing Cr Betts’ comments about reflecting Tamworth’s “city of light” status.
