New Clock tower lighting to be toned down

Newbury town councillors say new multi-coloured lights on the Clock House should only be used on special occasions

THE multi-coloured lights at Newbury's Clock Tower are now set to only be used on special occasions, under a new trial by Newbury Town Council.

In December, the 1920s Clock House in the Broadway was fitted with new architectural LED lights to create an attractive feature at the northern end of the town's main shopping street.

The lighting was funded by West Berkshire Council at a cost of about £12,000, with four different colour combinations to create an interesting night time attraction.

However, on Monday (June 6), the town council's services team put forward a recommendation to the community services committee to revert to standard soft yellow lighting for the majority of the time, with the multi-coloured combinations being used for special occasions, such as the Christmas lights, and other requested occasions.

Town councillor Arthur Johnson (Lib Dem, Pyle Hill) said he felt the multi-coloured lights should be continually used as they were an impressive feature for the town, while Jeff Beck (Con, Clay Hill) said he felt the soft yellow lighting was the most suitable to enhance the beauty of the Clock Tower.

Subsequently, councillors agreed to a six-month trial of using the yellow lighting, with the multi-coloured combinations being used on special occasions.