More than 3,000 streetlights across Torbay are set to be upgraded to energy-efficient LED technology as part of a major drive to cut emissions and reduce long-term costs for the council.

The new system will see older streetlights replaced with LED Holophane lanterns and managed centrally using Telensa’s Control Management System (CMS), a platform already in operation in cities including Birmingham, Hackney, Cambridge and Essex. The upgrade will allow lights to be controlled remotely, offering greater flexibility over brightness levels, improving efficiency and lowering energy consumption.

Torbay Council said the overhaul will deliver significant financial savings over the lifetime of the system, with reduced running costs expected to free up budget for future council services and infrastructure improvements.

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Deputy Leader of Torbay Council Chris Lewis said: "The proposed new streetlighting scheme will be fantastic for the Bay with the ability to vary the brightness of the lights in all areas enabling us to be more responsive, will be better for the environment, and also save both energy and costs in the long term.

"The new lighting will also help address anti-social behaviour and reduce the impact on our biodiversity across the Bay from artificial streetlighting.

"This is just one of a number of great schemes we have under our Climate Change Action Plan that the Bay will benefit from.

"It also forms part of our wider Pride in Place agenda in our Community and Corporate Plan which covers everything around our visitor economy, culture, climate, planning, natural environment and harbours, as well as our town centre regeneration programme which aims to make our towns become the places that they should be for our communities to enjoy."

The project forms part of Torbay's Climate Change Action Plan, which includes other emissions-reducing initiatives such as decarbonising Paignton Library through new heat pump installations, expanding the council’s electric vehicle fleet, and embedding sustainability requirements into procurement and external contracts.

The announcement coincides with COP30, the United Nations' annual climate summit, which runs from 10–21 November 2025.

Torbay Council's Cabinet is due to make a final decision on the lighting upgrade on 18 November 2025, with completion of the rollout anticipated by November 2026.