The 25-year-old lights on London’s iconic Tower Bridge are to be replaced a new energy efficient system after the plans were given final planning and listed building consent this week.

Thanks to a funding deal agreed between the Mayor of London, City of London Corporation and London 2012 sponsors EDF and GE, the new LED lighting system will be installed in time for the Olympic Games next summer.

The deal, which was first announced in April this year, has taken six months to ratify and obtain planning permissions from Southwark Council and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

The state of the art system will cut energy consumption for lighting the bridge by 40% and replace the static lights with ones that can vary in colour and intensity.

Lighting firm Citelum, which has also undertaken projects for the Eiffel Tower, Petronas Tower in Kuala Lumpur and the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, will design the new system and start work on replacing the old system imminently.

EDF Energy will supply electricity for the Bridge and has pledged to match every unit used with power from low carbon sources.

“It’s fantastic to now be able to crack on with this work to make [Tower Bridge] even better, brighter and greener and at no cost to the taxpayer,” commented Mayor of London Boris Johnson.

Tower Bridge and four other bridges in the City of London are maintained by Bridge House Estates, an ancient fund whose only trustee is the City of London Corporation.

For further information:
www.london.gov.uk
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
www.edfenergy.com/
www.ge.com
www.citelum.com/

Related stories:
Deal shines new spotlight on London’s Tower Bridge (26-Apr)