THE project to light up Casterton’s streetscape is complete, with 14 trees fitted with the new, heavy-duty fairy lights.

Casterton News had several queries – both written and in-person at our office – over recent weeks, regarding the project.

The majority of those queries were positive, praising council for the vast improvement to the aesthetic of Henty Street.

There were several questions and comments from both residents and retailers, regarding the “messy”, “scattered” and “incomplete” lighting.

Comparisons were also drawn between the Casterton lighting scheme and that in Bentinck Street, Portland, where the lighting scheme is more densely placed.

A shire spokesperson told CN this week that the lighting schemes in both towns were now complete and there were “no immediate plans” to increase the lighting scheme further, in either location.

“These projects were funded under the State Government’s Covid Safe Outdoor Activation Funding, which has since closed,” she said.

“We will continue to explore further funding opportunities to ‘brighten’ our local CBDs, as the response for these projects has been extremely positive and well-received by our communities.”

She said each town had its own budget for the lighting projects and the particular streetscapes of each had dictated the placement of the lighting.

“Portland’s CBD lighting was completed first as a trial under the initial round of the Covid Safe Outdoor Activation Funding,” she said.

“Given the success of this trial and the positive response from the community, council rolled out this project in Casterton as part of the second round of project funding.

“It is important to note the townships have their own unique streetscapes and therefore their own unique impact – Casterton has more trees in the CBD and is a larger project scope along Henty Street compared to Portland.

“The strip along Bentinck Street is a smaller, more concentrated area and has fewer trees.”