I suspect that CU may have taken over the production rights from Eleco. Eleco eventually transferred to Davis Engineering in the 1980s but I wonder if the column business went before then? It would certainly make sense for CU to buy up a competitor if they got the chance. It would also make sense for Eleco concrete columns not to be offered but CU may have seen the Eleco aluminium column as complementary to the CU concrete column range.

I suspect that estate in Popley is early to mid 1970's - which also begs the question - what was on the columns prior to the MI50s? Those aluminium columns look to have later brackets, where as the hockey sticks look older than late 1970s when the MI50 appeared.

As for the Libra having the tube "the other way round" compared to the Residium, I wonder if this to make a wider azimuth beam pattern and allow a lower profile bowl? The Altra also has the tube the same way round as the Libra.

As for Iridiums as main road lanterns, my source has been reliable so far and is well placed to know.. I just hope they are black as well to match the Libras...

Given that Hampshire has the greatest number of columns to replace, I would have thought that Southampton would be the lowest priority - although there are still some badly spalled columns around.
West Sussex stock is old but most concretes have been sleeved and the steels are in generally better condition than Hampshire, although there are exceptions..

I'm still hoping that it will be black Arc's running white light as i think that would look pretty good and a bit different. Just hope that your 'source' is getting their lanterns mixed up considering the Sapphire, Arc and Iridium and Selenium all look very similar.

On GSV in the village of Maplehurst, West Sussex only has one lantern - a AC 730? running MBF.

I 'm wondering if this shall be replaced with a couple of columns with Opalos or Libras.

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From streetlighting to radio, dance through the night whilst the streetlights are glowing outside.

That's what I was thinking. The phillips MA series has the lamps positioned the same way (granted, they use SOX lamps, but the shape of the arc tube is, for all intents and purposes, the same as a PL-L) and they get a great spread of light.

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Depends on who owns the lantern and bracket, if it belongs to West Sussex council then it will proberly be replaced with possibly a post top Libra on a new column or maybe they would fit a new bracket and Libra.

I think I read somewhere that Parish Council lighting in the South Coast PFI will be left untouched unless the Parish Council concerned opted into the scheme. Would a Parish Council bother opting in for just one lantern?

Most parish and district council owned lighting is being included in the PFI, so there won't be much parish lighting left untouched. Even New Forest District Council have now opted for most of their district owned lighting to be included. There were talks that New Forest District Council would keep ownership of their lighting within the National Park, but they have given up on that idea and included most of their district owned stock.

The first new PFI lanterns have been installed in Southampton, but not the first new columns...

Bitterne Way and Stoddart Avenue in Bitterne are the first roads to have been touched by the PFI in Southampton. The existing columns were 5m unpainted galvanised Stainton hockeystick columns with Philips MI26s. The existing columns have been retained, but the hockeystick brackets have been chopped off and new black 36w Libras fitted. The upgrade is "in progress", with a mixture of modified and unmodified columns. The second picture below shows "before and after".

Bit daft really, there should be new columns. These columns seem a bit old. I guess this is a casual replacement approach instead of the permanent replacement as in Hampshire.

So Southampton is not going to replace all its columns in one go which is happening in Portsmouth & Hampshire?

Only pre 1990 columns are being replaced as a result the South Coast PFI is not replacing all columns unlike in Portsmouth.

The columns pictured are perfectly serviceable and there is no point replacing galvanised columns. As a taxpayer I much prefer the more frugal approach being adopted by the South Coast PFI unlike in Portsmouth were columns less than 5 years old were replaced with new columns in exactly the same position which was a complete waste of money.

I have yet to see a "rusty" post 1990 column in the area.