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opinion4 min read
In conversation with Neil Purdue, Technical Director at Acrospire Lighting
A vital part of our Active Travel infrastructure, underpasses connect communities and provide traffic-free routes for pedestrians and cyclists.
However, underpasses can also be associated with crime. Often dark, damp and even closed at times due to flooding they are spaces many people choose to avoid.
We sat down with Neil Purdue, Acrospire’s Technical Director, to discuss why underpasses have gained such a bad reputation, and how the right lighting, designed specifically for these challenging environments can help council’s give them a new lease of life. The goal: to transform neglected spaces into safer, more welcoming routes for everyone.
Neil: Underpasses are vital for creating safe, walkable neighbourhoods – especially in areas divided by busy roads or rail lines. But if a space feels unsafe, people will avoid it. Lighting plays a huge role in that.
It’s not just about visibility, it’s about perception. If lighting is broken, patchy, or flickering, it sends the wrong signal. People lose trust in the space.
Neil: You’re dealing with some of the harshest conditions for any fitting. There’s the environment: damp, dusty, fluctuating temperatures. There’s vandalism: smashed lenses, graffiti, even arson.
Then there’s the runtime. Most of these fittings are on 24/7, so energy use and durability really matter. You can’t just throw in any old bulkhead and hope for the best – it needs to be designed for the task at hand.
Neil: The key one is BS 5489-1:2013. For pedestrian subways and underpasses, it recommends illuminance levels of up to 350 lux in threshold areas during daylight, and around 100 lux at night in the main underpass zone.
The aim is to provide safe and comfortable transitions between the bright outdoors and enclosed spaces, especially at entry and exit points.
Vertical illuminance is just as important. It helps with facial recognition, supports effective CCTV coverage, and makes the space feel less claustrophobic. That’s why we design our fittings to provide even vertical lighting across walls and ceilings, not just the floor, with a colour rendering index (CRI) of 80+ for enhanced clarity and visual comfort.
Neil: We engineer for the environment. Our wall and ceiling fittings, like the Serifa Square, Serifa Linear, and VandaWay are IK10++ impact-rated and IP65/IP66 sealed, meaning they resist physical abuse and weather ingress.
We use tamper-proof fixings, robust steel housings, and reliable drivers designed for long-term performance in hostile locations. Everything is built to last, because if it’s going into an underpass, it has to.
Neil: That’s often the hidden cost. If you’re sending someone out to fix a smashed light every few months, you’re burning money.
We design for long service life, easy retrofitting, and minimal upkeep. Our fittings are energy-efficient, simple to mount, and include flexible cable entry options to suit different wall and ceiling setups.
Neil: Absolutely. We’re working with several Local Authorities right now on underpass upgrades, and the feedback has been fantastic.
When we publish the before/after photos, you’ll see just how big a difference the lighting makes, not just in brightness, but in how the space feels.
It’s about rebuilding confidence. People want to feel visible and they want to know the space is looked after. Good lighting achieves both.
Neil: Lighting doesn’t just light a path, it communicates care. When you install something that looks robust, performs well, and keeps running, people notice. They feel safer.
That’s how you reclaim these spaces and make them work for everyone again.
Our story
The idea for Acrospire was formed in 2012 when founder Tim envisioned a different kind of lighting manufacturer: one that would not only deliver outstanding customer experiences but also prioritise fair treatment for its employees.
We’ve come a long way
Motivated by the belief the industry wanted and needed better, Tim shared his plan to establish his own venture with Hatty, who simply couldn't let him do it alone.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Protecting local jobs and ensuring the best quality possible.
Working from a rented office by day and assembling lanterns in a garage at night, Tim and Hatty set to work.
11 Years later
Acrospire now inhabits a 14000² ft manufacturing facility in Basingstoke, Hampshire. We’re a proud partner of the Made in Britain scheme, ISO9001 certified and a member of all relevant lighting industry trade bodies.
Along with great relationships with our customers and a great team! We've attracted some of the most experienced members of the lighting industry, all by following one golden rule.
A simple ethos
That runs through all that we do. Customers who have made the switch to Acrospire have found working with us to be a breath of fresh air.
If you’re a professional in the lighting industry, you’re probably familiar with warranties that range from 3 to 10 years, with extensions available on special request or at additional cost. At Acrospire, where we’re proud to be different, we offer a market-leading simple 12-year warranty, as standard.
We focus on our customers not our competition. We manufacture our products in the UK: with the exception of our solar products, our supply chain is within a 60-mile radius of our factory in Basingstoke: to maintain greater control over quality. We al
Speed of response is crucial when it comes to resolving warranty issues. If we’ve made a mistake, we own it, get to the root cause, and fix it as quickly as possible. We believe in timely communication with our customers and making the resolution pro
Test and Test Again
We believe in independent testing and certification. Our new product development is in line with ISO 9001. Many of our products hold ENEC Certification. To meet the requirements of ENEC we also send random product samples for third party safety testi
Our product design is another key factor in our ability to offer a 12-year warranty. We value engineer rather than cost cut, never compromising on quality. We stick to our processes and engage with our supply chain to ensure that every product meets