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Let's light up our city ; HULL: Council considers illuminating historic buildings at night [Hull Daily Mail (England)](Hull Daily Mail (England) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) InShort Hull City Council is considering lighting up its key historical buildings. Private buildings may also be illuminated. HULL City Council is considering "mood" lighting for key buildings to transform the appearance of Hull city centre at night. The council was recently given a light show by electronics giant Philips in Queen Victoria Square, showing what could be achieved. Now, Councillor Martin Mancey, cabinet member for environment and transport, has requested costings. He said: "The potential is enormous, especially when you want to change the mood for potential UK City of Culture events, which is why we have asked for some indication of cost." Cllr Mancey - who believes such a scheme would provide a shot in the arm for the night-time economy- said he expected the cost to be in the region of Pounds 25,000 to Pounds 50,000. He said: "Lighting is very important. Philips did a demonstration for us a couple of weeks ago and showed us what they could do. "The team focused on the Maritime Museum and City Hall and showed us they had the ability to use a computer-controlled lighting system to move through a full spectrum of colour. "It could totally transform the city centre." Cllr Mancey said he believes more needs to be made of the city's ancient buildings in order to entice visitors. "If you look around, we have some absolutely beautiful buildings," he said. "But most people don't notice them. We need to change that." Cllr Mancey suggested privately owned buildings could also get onboard. "We have only just started to look seriously into this and we need to ensure it is a worthwhile investment to install such a lighting system," he said. "It has to add value. "We would invite others to contribute, possibly HullBID, and even private owners of buildings. "We would hope they would also see the benefits of lighting up and showcasing their premises." Licensed Hull rickshaw rider Neil Worner, who can often be seen in Queen Victoria Square, gave his seal of approval to the council's expression of interest. He said: "I loved it at Christmas when I was riding around the city centre, which was all lit up. It looked great. "I am definitely in favour of lighting up our main buildings. It will make the city centre more attractive." Mr Worner said he often sees tourists taking pictures of buildings. "The likes of the Maritime Museum and City Hall must be attractive to outsiders if people want to stop and take pictures." Leila Bolton, owner of the striking Punch Hotel in Queen Victoria Square, says she would consider paying to be incorporated into the lighting scheme. She said: "We had no idea about the demonstration until it happened, but we were impressed. It definitely made a dramatic impact. "With UK City of Culture coming in 2017, the more we can do to show off our old buildings the better." ? Opinion: Page 10 Follow Kevin on Twitter @hdm_shoesmith 'This would demonstrate a real sense of pride' In your words Hull Bid would welcome feature lighting to highlight the many important, historic and architecturally stunning buildings in Hull city centre. Naturally, there is a cost implication and serious consideration would need to be given to the feasibility of such a big project, but similar projects have worked very well in other cities and really brought to life buildings that often go unrecognised or become ignored. The impact of this is increased interest and footfall but also it demonstrates a real sense of pride. You only have to look above many of the shops in Whitefriargate to see a wide variety of styles, from the Palladian columns above Marks & Spencer, to the wonderful Neptune Inn building above Boots. (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |