Secondment Spotlight – Andy Cole

Street lighting is often only noticed when it’s missing or when it feels out of place. But behind every route, there’s a long list of decisions that shape the best lighting placements, how future maintenance will work and how local habitats are protected.

Andy Cole is currently on secondment to Oxfordshire County Council from Waterman Aspen, working as a Senior Engineer within the council’s Highway, Structures and Electrical Assets team.

Andy’s role focuses on lighting design and development across the county, supporting everything from small housing developments, minor highway schemes and active travel routes, through to major infrastructure programmes.

A key part of the role is reviewing incoming and undertaking lighting designs to ensure they align with Oxfordshire’s specifications and lighting policy, as well as relevant British Standards and industry guidance. Andy works with designers and internal teams to agree on a balanced solution that works for the place and for long‑term operation.

Lighting that works for people and the environment

Modern lighting design isn’t just about visibility. Andy explains that environmental context now plays a major role in decision-making, especially in a county with such a mix of rural roads, rivers, established hedgerows and sensitive habitats.

In practice, that can mean thinking about:

• Light colour temperatures and levels that can affect bat foraging corridors
• Bright “white” lighting can attract insects and shift food sources
• Light spill onto waterways can affect aquatic habitats
• Ancient trees and root networks mean you can’t simply place a column “anywhere”

Andy’s approach is to consider ecology restraints first, then to focus on delivering safe, comfortable lighting for people walking, cycling or driving to comply with the council policies.

Dark skies, active travel and practical alternatives

As with many infrastructure decisions, lighting often sits at the centre of competing expectations. Andy notes there are strong voices advocating for dark skies and less lighting, while others such as active travel groups, may call for lighting across entire cycling networks.

In Oxfordshire, where cycling is a major priority, Andy describes the need to find practical alternatives without lighting every route end to end.

One example is the use of solar-powered wayfinding studs along cycleways, guiding people through a route without creating broad light spill into sensitive rural areas.

Major programmes: A40 improvements and Didcot area improvements

Andy’s secondment includes supporting lighting input into some of Oxfordshire’s major infrastructure schemes including:

• The A40 improvements programme (including integrated bus lane).
• The Didcot and surrounding area improvements programme (including significant new infrastructure such as bypass, bridge elements and cycle routes)

A unique aspect of Andy’s experience is continuity. Earlier in his career, he was involved in producing preliminary lighting designs for Oxfordshire schemes, and returning on secondment has allowed him to see those projects progress toward the construction phase.

Andy’s thoughts on secondments

Andy values the combination of stability and variety that secondment brings, having the security of employment and benefits, alongside the ability to work closely with a client team and support delivery from the inside. Andy also highlights a supportive, personable culture and approachable leadership at Waterman Aspen: “The way they treat their staff, from what I’ve seen, is brilliant.”

By balancing standards with local context, bringing biodiversity and long-term maintenance into the conversation early, Andy helps Oxfordshire deliver lighting solutions that are proportionate, practical and sensitive to the places they serve.

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