A WORKING party group could be created to assess the feasibility of lighting up historic landmarks.

Martin Goss (Lib Dem) remarked there was “some gold” in Conservative Party leader Darius Laws’ bid to light up the town’s historic sites with £92,000 of Heritage Reserve cash but wants to see a cross-party working group formed.

He said: “We haven’t got the money to do it at the moment but we should look at the on-going costs and the technology properly so we know what we’re talking about, rather than just headline figures.”

His comments were made at a full Colchester Council meeting where a £100,000 deep clean of the “historic old town centre” was also turned down in the budget vote.

The idea was backed by Pauline Hazell (Con) but she said it must include Gosbecks Archaeological Park, described as one of the country’s premier Iron Age and Roman monuments.

She said: “I’m really rather thankful Martin suggested a task and finish group in regards to lighting up the town walls and other things, and I’d ask to include in that the heritage of the Gosbecks Archaeological Park, which was turned down at the last cabinet.

“If it’s good enough to have a task and finish group for the town centre’s heritage, it’s certainly good enough for Gosbecks Archaeological Park.”

The prospect of spending nearly £300,000 for the likes of Jumbo and the Roman Walls to be lit up went against Beverley Oxford’s better judgement.

The Independent Highwoods councillor, said: “I don’t see why this council should spend money on lighting and enhancing Jumbo when we don’t own this monument.

“I like the idea of lighting up our walls and making more of them, but my concern is the future maintenance cost, especially as budgets become tighter due to government constraints.”

“Surely it’s the responsibility of the owner, who was well aware of the constraints of this unique monument and its surroundings?”

The councillor also denounced a further amendment to divert £250,000 allocated to the Revolving Investment Fund, a pot of money to drive income generation projects, to prioritise investment into town centre regeneration schemes such as at St Nicholas Square.

She added: “I think as a council we should work with the developer to share ideas of how that realm will take shape.”