Public lighting requests

Existing public street lighting must not be altered without first obtaining the written approval of the responsible authority: Infrastructure Design, City of Melbourne.  

Before we provide our consent to your request, we must ensure that the following three aspects have been addressed in the interest of public safety:

1. Continuity of supply to the rest of the public lights connected to the same circuit.
2. Provision of temporary lighting throughout the duration of the construction project.  
3. Reinstating public lighting assets and making them operational once the project has been completed.

You need to agree to the following conditions before we can issue a letter of consent for requested alterations to the public lighting assets. 

1. All costs associated with the removal, reinstatement, or relocation of public lighting assets, as well as the design and installation of temporary lighting, shall be borne by you.
2. Continuity of supply to the other public lights in the same circuit shall be maintained.
3. Temporary lighting:
   1. Temporary lighting shall be designed to provide illumination at the locations affected by the removal of the existing lights, ensuring that the lighting levels are not lower than the existing levels.
   2. A temporary lighting design including lux contour plot for both the existing public lights and the proposed temporary lights shall be submitted to us.
   3. Once the temporary lighting design has been accepted by us, it shall be installed and made operational from the date of removal of existing public lighting assets.
   4. The temporary lighting system and its switching system shall comply with relevant Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and electrical safety requirements. 
   5. Temporary lighting shall not be removed until such time the public lighting assets are reinstated and made operational by the electricity distribution company.
   6. City of Melbourne officers will monitor the operation of temporary lighting at affected locations. If necessary, they may direct you to install additional lights or make further improvements. 
4. Removal of public lighting assets:
   1. All work associated with alterations to the existing public lighting assets shall only be undertaken by the electricity distribution company or its approved contractors.  
   2. If Citipower wishes for the nonstandard lighting assets to be removed by others, you should contact our Public Lighting Maintenance Service Provider, High Access Cabling, to obtain an offer for the removal and reinstatement of the nonstandard assets.  
5. Reinstatement of public lighting assets:
   1. All public lighting assets temporarily removed or altered to facilitate construction works shall be reinstated once the need for removal or alteration has ceased
   2. New or replacement wall-mounted street lights should be connected to a metered or a 2 Amp point of supply installed in public space.
   3. If the lights to be reinstated require metered or 2 Amp supply, you should engage our Public Lighting Maintenance Service Provider, High Access Cabling, to install lighting assets and manage the process of installing a meter or a 2 Amp supply point.
   4. As soon as the need for alteration to public lighting assets ceases, you shall contact Citipower/Powercor, Jemena or High Access Cabling to arrange reinstatement of the permanent street lighting solution.
   5. We may request you to provide a security bond prior to the issuance of our approval.
   6. We will access funds available in the security bond to reinstate the street lighting assets in the event of failure to honour your obligations.
6. Any damage caused to civil infrastructure assets, such as roads, footpaths, kerb, channels, outdoor furniture, signage, etc., shall be reinstated to meet the our standards and to the satisfaction of the Infrastructure Assets.
7. If you are unable to meet any of the above conditions, you are required to inform us immediately. 

Non-contestable unmetered public lighting

Following our approval and issue of a letter of consent for altering public lighting system on the non-contestable unmetered public lighting network, you need to contact the responsible electricity distributor, CitiPower/Powercor or Jemena, to undertake the alterations. The works are undertaken at the applicant’s cost. 

Metered or unmetered 2 Amp point of supply

Following our approval and issue of a letter of consent for altering public lighting system on an unmetered 2 Amp point of supply or metered network, you need to engage our Public Lighting Maintenance Service Provider, to carry out the works. You need to cover all costs associated with alterations to public lighting including provision of temporary lighting and reinstatement of permanent lighting. 

You need to provide your contact details (name, position, address, email and phone number) and contact details of the contractor responsible for the works.  

As part of your application, you will also need to attach supporting documents that may include:  

• brief description of the project
• site plan showing the scope of the works associated with changes to public lighting
• street lighting design for the reinstatement of Council’s street lighting assets
• design for temporary lighting
• lux plots for existing, temporary and permanent lighting certified by a suitably qualified lighting consultant.  

Your designs must be drawn to scale and show the extent of the opening or excavation on the footpath or road.  

You should include a copy of a memorandum issued by Infrastructure Development if you have one. 

For road works, you may need to obtain consent for works (road works) from the responsible road and power authority. 

Reinstatement

You are responsible for arranging permanent reinstatement of public lighting and road infrastructure (e.g. road, footpath, kerb, channel, outdoor furniture, signage, etc.) impacted by the works.  

At the completion of the reinstatement of public lighting you need to provide a notification to us. Please provide notification at enquiries@melbourne.vic.gov.au and include a reference to the case number and location address.  

As-built documentation 

As part of the handover process you need to provide:

• as-built drawings in AutoCad and PDF formats including Lux levels plan, dimensional site plan showing location of electrical conduits, electrical pits and the point of power supply, elevations and construction details (all levels to Australian Height Datum)
• Certificate of Electrical Safety
• details of the lighting system, including technical specification, part numbers and supplier contact details
• warranty details for all items covered by a manufacturer’s or supplier’s warranty
• notification procedure in-case of claims under the defects liability period
• an inventory list of all Council’s assets constructed as part of the project with quantities and construction dates.