The Parish Council are currently investigating the possibility of reinstating the lamp on top of the Coronation Stone in the centre of the village.
This is a question that has arisen before, notably when the Millennium Committee (which was a sub-committee of Belstone Parish Council) working on The Book of Belstone back around the turn of the century also had a remit ‘to do something about the Coronation Stone’.
The suggestion would be to use a modern, removable, solar-powered electric lamp, with toughened glass and programmable timing.
If it were possible (and desirable) for it to replace the existing mains-powered street light, this would also represent a step in the direction of using sustainable energy sources for village infrastructure.
The SmartScape lantern suggested by the Highways Department is a possible option:
Initial indications are that the overall cost would be in the region of £1,500 and ideas for sources of funding, including donations are being considered.
At this stage, the Council are looking for feedback from the village community, before proceeding further. They are aware that there are a number of considerations involved in completing such a project.
The Parish Council has created a dedicated email address for feedback, and they would welcome any comments, thoughts or questions from members of the village community, by Friday 25th August 2023 to:
The source of any email messages to the council on this subject will remain confidential. However, the Council may quote sections from emails, without the details of the sender, in a future post on this site when they report back to the community.
