Cambridge City Council has called for six bollard lights to be installed permanently on Parker’s Piece to make the park safer for walkers in the early morning and at night. Lights were temporarily put up on Parker’s Piece in January in response to the rape of a woman walking through the area in March 2011. Although the bollard lights were damaged by an unknown vandal at the time it seems that the majority of Cambridge residents are far more welcoming of the new lighting.

Over 1,000 members of the public contributed to a consultation on the lighting with 76 per cent of respondents in favour of lighting of some kind. Following the overwhelmingly positive response it has been proposed that six ‘heritage style columns’ will be installed at a cost of £60,000.

The CUSU Women’s campaign campaigned strongly for the lights making it a central part of their goals last year. Speaking to The Cambridge Student in May, former CUSU Women’s Officer Susy Langsdale said: “There is still much to do. There are many areas with inadequate lighting in Cambridge such as Christ’s Piece. I hope the council continues to increase lighting locally and that colleges follow suit.”

Dean Connolly, Magdalene College Welfare Officer, told Varsity: “It’s excellent news that there will now be permanent lighting on Parker’s Piece. It will make it safer for students walking through the area at night as well as making female and male students alike feel far less at risk.”