The refurbishment project had the aim of opening up previously uninviting areas, such as Vincent's Pier and North Wharf, during the hours of darkness. As part of a £2.8 million regeneration of its historic harbour area, completed in 2007, which involved an entire public realm re-design, Woodhouse UK supplied the seafront promenade area with a bespoke state-of-the-art lighting scheme, designed by lighting consultants, Speirs & Major Associates.

A fundamental part of the design team's approach was to avoid conventional road lighting for the area, which would have been too visually obtrusive. An innovative alternative solution, took the vertical masts of the fishing boats in the Harbour as its stylistic inspiration. A total of 20 unique tapered timber columns by French lighting company Aubrilam were specified as a close approximation of this nautical theme. Aubrilam's laminated pine columns are sustainable, fire-resistant, EN40-complaint - and have a life expectancy in excess of 30 years. Manufactured from glued and laminated timber lamellas, Aubrilam columns are extremely strong and robust. Maintaining their rich, natural colour since being installed in 2007, the columns are able to stand up to the pressures of extreme Waterside weather. Exposed to the elements in a sea facing location the columns look as new, suffering absolutely no aesthetic degradation as a result of their environment.

Most of the 13 metre lighting masts around Scarborough's Harbour have three lighting components. Two graceful outreach arms at different heights support Woodhouse Geo Disc lanterns - a smaller 70 watt lantern at low level illuminates the pedestrian walkway and seating areas with a gentle blue wash, while a more powerful lamp lights the carriageway to BS/EN light levels. In addition to this dual lighting solution, each mast is topped by a 1.8-metre high 'light wand', custom-designed by MARL International, using long-life, low-maintenance LEDs. The entire ensemble creates a striking beacon effect along the harbour, reflecting the dramatic transformation of this previously run-down area of the town.

The scheme uses the latest, most efficient light sources - ceramic metal halide and LEDs - and the power consumption involved in lighting the entire harbour area is only 4.5 kilowatts.

Other lighting units by Woodhouse were specified elsewhere in the scheme: for example, Geo Light Stacks, with clear diffusers and internal louvres, light subsidiary pedestrian areas not covered by the main scheme; and scallop-shaped Woodhouse Geo Footlights adds a degree of ground-level sparkle to Vincent's Pier, the surface of which has a sand-coloured, resin-bound aggregate containing glass beads. These low-level, bi-directional luminaires are semi-recessed into the ground and are tough enough to be walked on or driven over by harbour users.

This high-quality refurbishment of the Harbour area at Scarborough has transformed the entire public realm, which is sure to bring long-term benefit to the town's economy. Woodhouse is proud to have its lighting products associated with such a high quality, well designed, beacon regeneration project. Due to the hard wearing nature of the Aubrilam timber lighting columns, we have been able to provide a product that looks as good today as it did when it was first installed and will hold its appearance throughout its life.