Rawtenstall resident's fury over plans for 'obnoxious' broadband poles outside homes

A Rawtenstall resident has expressed his frustration over proposed plans to erect a broadband pole in his neighbourhood.

Michael Broadhead, a retired Chartered Surveyor, lives on Constable Lee Crescent in Rawtenstall. The 64-year-old says residents of the cul-de-sac were given notices of pending installation for timber telegraph poles around 10 metres in height.

These will then be connected by overhead wires for fast broadband connection from brsk, a high speed fibre broadband provider for the UK. However, Michael and many other residents have opposed the plans, saying they will "ruin the character and appearance of our cul-de-sac".

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Talking to LancsLive, Michael added: "We're in quite a unique position here in Constable Lee Crescent. We have certain rights granted for the protection of the estate in terms of its visible amenity.

"It's really important this, because we can't install caravans or boats on our drive. We can't put fences and trellises and hedges in to our gardens at the front."

Over the weekend, LancsLive reported another frustrated resident in Rawtenstall who has had the poles erected outside their home. Property owners Sandra and Roger Hindle bought their "forever home" around seven years ago for the "particularly nice view" of the valley, but now this has been blighted by the infrastructure.

Michael has lived in his property for 33 years and says one of the appealing characteristics of the area was the fact residents cannot build anything they want outside their properties. However, this is now a concern for Michael as the lack of footpaths and public areas means the poles may have to be built on land owned by one of the residents.

brsk say they are in the "early stages" of surveying the area and the location of the pole placements is yet to be confirmed. They are engaging with residents throughout the process, particularly those who may see the infrastructure close to their homes.

When it comes to private land, brsk say they wouldn't be able to erect the poles without a 'wayleave document', a contractual agreement between the provider and landowner which requires a signature and consent from the landowner.

However, Michael doesn't think there's any need for the poles to be erected in his area. He said: "It just seems as though they're bullying their way through and saying, sod society, sod the landscape which we're proud of here in Rawtenstall.

"We've got lots of volunteers going around and picking up litter, cleaning the place and putting around flowers. The last thing we want is a load of obnoxious telegraph poles.

A spokesperson for brsk said: "As one of the UK’s fastest-growing full fibre broadband providers, brsk is fully committed to the Government’s mandate to deliver gigabit-capable connectivity nationwide by 2030. This mandate can only be achieved by upgrading current broadband infrastructure to full fibre - the fastest and most reliable type of broadband available.

"Currently, full fibre broadband is only available to around 60 per cent of homes in the country, which is why brsk are bringing better broadband to Rossendale. With residents having been historically misled into believing that the option they already have is the most advanced - but not all options advertised as 'fibre' are full fibre.

"These upgrades are therefore important to serve current and future generations, future-proofing the services for all. We pride ourselves on having open and ongoing communication throughout the build process.

"We do this through various channels, including engagement with local authorities, and notification of work letters delivered to each home in an area ahead of work starting. We then engage face to face with as many residents as possible through our dedicated engagement teams, who collect details so that we can provide ongoing updates on our build progress to those who request these."

The company says that in Rawtenstall, pre-construction letters were sent to every home in February of this year. These were followed by communication packs in March, and door-knocking sessions in April. They say this engagement "is still ongoing in the area".

A spokesperson added: "We strive to engage with the local community as much as possible, which is why we use a number of different channels to communicate, and why we proactively engage with local councils ahead of work starting. Although there is no requirement for planning permission, and no legal requirement for consultation with residents or businesses, we are proud to be transparent and proactive with our communication to keep residents and local authorities informed.

"Our network is built within and on the existing telecommunications infrastructure under Code Powers issued by OFCOM"