A TOTAL of 35 lamp-posts are set to be installed in Greenock’s Battery Park by the end of March, Inverclyde Council has said.

The local authority secured UK Government funding to enhance the lighting in public parks in a bid to make people feel safer during darker mornings and evenings.

The step was taken after safe walking spaces were highlighted as a concern in a safety survey, which prompted the council to seek improvements.

Councillor Elizabeth Robertson, SNP representative for Inverclyde North, asked for an update on the progress of the energy-efficient lighting project at the Eldon Street site at last week's education and communities committee.

READ MORE: No 'guarantee' transformation of historic Port building will be complete by May

Hugh Scott, service manager, responded: “They’ve done all the ground works at the moment and they’re hoping for the 35 lamp-posts to be up [and] installed within the next month or two.

“But they’re hopeful the whole job will be finished by March 31.”

Tracking and ducting works for the initiative began in November, while lighting columns were expected to be delivered early this year.

A report to the committee explained: “The bid to the SPF (Shared Prosperity Fund) was made with the intention of improving the safety perception of using the park in the darker evenings and mornings in response to issues raised within Inverclyde Council’s ‘Public space, activity and women’s safety survey’.”