Help please - Outreach telecommunication pole being erected in garden

Standen1 · December 2021

Hi, 2 years ago we had 5 conifers removed in our front garden and since then have worked at developing a rockery complete with shrubs, plants and bulbs. Tonight we heard that Outreach may be erecting an 8metre pole - looks from plan as if it will be in the rockery!
Obviously we will be objecting to this but just wondering if anyone has had any experience of this and how they addressed it and was anyone successful in stopping this and had the fiber optics buried in the street instead?

At the moment, all utilities are underground and we are lucky that the close has no overhead cables at all but this will be an absolute eyesore with cables criss-crossing across the close.

From what we have read, we may not be able to do much about this - if this is the case, I will try digging up some of the shrubs and putting them into pots to replan and replant later - has anyone any advice on this as I’m not even sure if this is a good time to be digging them up but we won’t have much choice as we think the work will be started in the new year. if we can’t save the shrubs has anyone ever managed to get compensation?
Will be very grateful for any suggestions / advice

BenCotto · December 2021

That’s a rum do.

There is a host of online discussions about moving poles and objecting to their positioning but I expect you have already trawled through them. Here’s an example:
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/214080/openreach-telegraph-poles.pdf

Have you raised this matter with your parish and county councillors, and your MP? A letter to your local paper might persuade BT to back off as well.

As for moving plants, it is not too bad a time to be doing so but my first reaction would be to get BT to abort the plan, or modify it, or agree compensation.

Standen1 · December 2021

Many thanks for the prompt reply. We only received notification of this late this evening, I tried contacting the company immediately but the ‘night staff’ couldn’t help and I need to ring tomorrow. I will then be putting my queries and objections in writing and this link you provided will be really useful.

Standen1 · December 2021

We know they have been doing work in roads around us - cables being put underground but our close is block paved which I think this maybe why this is being suggested as a possibility. Only received the notification today though.

We are starting by speaking to the contractors working for openreach and requesting a site visit first to get the full details including ascertaining the correct complaints procedure. Meanwhile we will be speaking to the neighbours to see what the overall feeling is. Depending on the responses from the contractors, we will then be looking at the next steps.

Many thanks for your support

Fire · December 2021

Is the pole in your garden or on the pavement/road way/near boundary? Could you give more details?

madpenguin · December 2021

Also check your deeds to see where the boundary of your land is.
My house (20 years old) looks to go straight to the road but the deeds say that a 3 ft strip along the entire frontage to the road does not actually belong to me even though the drive,lawn, flower bed and path to front door cross over it.There is street lamp which is on this strip.
I was told about this when I moved in and I do maintain it but am aware that it can be dug up without my permission,such as when they replaced the street lamp ruining part of the lawn and a bed!

Busy-Lizzie · December 2021

@Fire, Standen has said that the proposed pole may be in the rockery, in the garden.

Standen1 · December 2021

Hi all, many thanks for your comments. Spent time late last night checking deeds and the people in the house before us had’ extended’ the garden down to the road when they planted the conifers so the pole will not actually be on our land so there isn’t anything much we can do. 😕😟 Had someone from the contractors around this morning (they came really quickly!) who talked it through with us. He said they would remove the plants, pop them in water and replace them when they have finished…. not sure if we should just leave them so it looks good in the hope they will do a good job or try removing them ourselves and then replanting? We will be measuring it out and making sure it doesn’t come into our land! Now thinking of what climbers we could put to grow up it …. any ideas? The soil is quite neutral although it did have conifers there until a couple of years ago, it’s a fairly dry area that gets lots of sun….

Fairygirl · December 2021

I personally wouldn't put a climber on it - for two reasons. First - it isn't your property to plant something on it, and second - it rarely works as it draws attention to the pole rather than distracting from it.

Better to make sure your boundary is in the correct place, and concentrate on making the garden inside that, attractive.
We have lots of houses round here which have a strip of verge between their property and the road, with a footpath in between. Many people have 'adopted' those verges and planted all sorts of things on them. The reality is that they don't have the right to do that, unless they buy the land, and if the council suddenly decided they were going to pave over those strips to make the footpath or the road wider, it would be their right to do so.

Standen1 · December 2021

thanks fairy girl. Good point that putting a climber on it may just draw attention to it - it was the contractor that suggested it and set me thinking…. any excuse to buy more plants! 😉

Fairygirl · December 2021

I know what you mean @Standen1 - not good for our bank account eh?

Perhaps you could have a structure of some kind further away for a climber though. I don't know exactly what your plot looks like, but distraction is often a better way of disguising an ugly feature.
Or disguising an ugly neighbour....

Help please - Outreach telecommunication pole being erected in garden

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