Denying access to cable for neighbours

[EatsShitAndLeaves]

So I got a letter in the post from Virgin Media who are in our locality.

They want me to give permission to lay cable down my drive to access the houses behind.

I live in an old farmhouse with a big front/back garden- before we moved in after the "field" at the back was sold and 3 houses built on it.

They have access to their property via my drive - but I own the drive.

I've done a very shitty picture to illustrate...R is road, G is garden and D is Drive. My house is the rectangle.

It's not to scale. The drive is very long and we spent a lot of money block paving it when we moved in.

I'm not at all keen on this being ripped up and botched reinstated.

As we are on the Main Street we would get access to Virgin services regardless. Allowing the work gains us nothing - apart from stress and hassle.

However if I deny the work then my neighbours can't take this service.

AIBU to refuse access?

Sorry posted to soon - I definitely can afford their services....I just don't want to face the bill for another (and another - as helpful posters have pointed out) driveway.

I'm wondering why I haven't been sent the contract now - I'm guessing it gives maintenance rights in perpetuity....

Creampastry Virgin broadband is multiple times faster than that of ISPs which use the Openreach network.

If you were to say yes I would make absolutely sure, and have written in a contract, that the path would have to be relayed by the original driveway laying contractors at any cost they quote also getting the quote in writing and agreed before any work by virgin is carried out.

I'd understand if I was the neighbour and I didn't have underground service rights over the driveway, yes. That is something that would/should have been clearly explained to them by their conveyancer when they bought the property.

I am assuming that the houses already have broadband, telephones, water and gas. Virgin TV and broadband is very much an optional extra in some areas where that service is available if cabling has been laid to support it. It isn't a basic necessity.

Just to enlighten the contents of MN. VM carries TV and Broadband and telephone in one cable. The cable that comes down my location is in the road it was laid over 22 years ago and it provides service to 6 of the 8 properties here. One of them has block paving and it hasn't sunk, they use a trench refill that doesn't sink like re-compacted earth which does.

I'd ask them round and ask them what they want to do, they may be able to use an alternative easier route it may not have to go under the driveway at all. They use different contractors to do these "Civil s" works to the ones who do the end connection if they do lay ducting to the other houses there the that even may well not be necessary to have that done.

And then ask them what they might be offering for you?

I'd be very happy if i had a cheap or free Broadband feed especially a VM one, and nope! I don't work for them either:)

I think if the neighbours approac you about this i would look into it more.
I would be asking Virgin Media every question that i can think of. However i would do it ALL in writing.

Yes Ped and that's part of the dilemma - we will likely sign up to Virgin rather than Sky - whilst at the same time denying that to our neighbours

Refuse, refuse, refuse!!! They have just dug up the roads around our way and made a right pig's ear of it. Your block paving will never, ever, look the same again. My mum lives on a private unadopted bit of block paved road and she is soooo glad she refused permission as the pavements around the corner have been destroyed by shoddy workmanship and ugly street cabinets in inappropriate places. She also got the letter about neighbours and future residents not being able to enjoy Virgin if she refused. Boo hoo, would they pay for a new drive?

Out of interest OP how did the drive come to be shared? Why did you block pave it for other neighbours to drive over? Or were you offered a good price for access? Do you have to maintain the drive even though 3 other houses benefit from it?

Well this is wot we got here if i can do this right!. IP address redacted if you don't mind!

Amused at VM apparently being essential, given that I live in a city that had no VM coverage whatsoever, and when we had it an university it was so godawful trading standards/the ASA stepped in and stopped them advertising in our area.

I would say no. I would have from the start, but their faffing even at this stage makes it even more of a no.

If you want to have virgin media the cable would need to run from the street to your house. So you can't completely have your cake and eat it!

A thousand times no for all the reasons already stated. There will be another way that doesn't involve your drive, it'll just be more costly. For them.

Yes but fairground that would just run across the OP's front garden to the house, not all the way down the drive.

I was wondering how they got ROW over your drive, too, Eat, since your property pre-dates theirs? (It was the other way round with the drive I shared.) Not sheer nosiness, I promise! But because I'd be surprised if a more recent agreeement to sell a ROW didn't include underground service access. I thought that was pretty standard because of exactly situations like these.

We had a slightly different scenario but southern electric had to fix something under our front lawn. They promised to leave it as they found it. We had a nice green lawn before they dug the 6 ft hole and when they left they merely grass seeded over where they had dug. We had to fight pretty hard to get them to fix it properly.
I guess I'm saying that if I'd spent £10k on a driveway there's no way I'd let someone dig it up. It's only one provider when they have options of many others, often with just as good a deals.
I think you're perfectly justified to say no and not feel guilty about using virgin when your neighbours can't, they will not be the only people in the country without virgin!

I've asked a friend who works for virgin in planning i.e. The department that puts the cables in.

She said she's no idea about maintenance rights but the agreement is known as a wayleave agreement internally and is just an agreement to do the work.

She also said that the drive shouldn't sink when replaced.

another vote for just say no. Tbh I wouldn't have even engaged with it and just ignored it.

Your neighbours will be able to get the service; the company will just have to lay the cable in a different way and a more round about route.

What would put me off most is that you are then in effect stuck for life (not just for you but when you sell the property) with people needing (an probably having a right to) maintenance access. If in fact it creates a right or easement or whatever its called, it may put people off buying your place or devalue it.

Sorry if I've missed this already but have Virgin specifically said they want to lay the cable at the request of a neighbour? As a previous poster has mentioned they do have form for laying cables to increase their coverage area and so they can bombard you all with offers. If it's just Virgin wanting to do it themselves then it's an easy option to decline.

I wouldnt go there OP... our virgin cable comes in from the street across out front garden, where the footpath meets the garden they have drilled a hole through the wall and the cable comes out on our side in a horrible green sleeve thing, then enters the ground about 60cm later and is in a trench they dug across the edge of the lawn, it then jumps out again and is clipped along the house wall and enters the front of the living room wall. The green sleeve thing makes it v difficult to easily garden that corner and it looks a mess. They really didnt take much care at all

No. Just no.

Just to enlighten the contents of MN

We're not all thick on here, Justaboy, you know.

No, I wouldn't do this, there will be another route for them to lay them cable surely, even if it's much longer. I ssupect they are taking rhe cheapest shortest route.

I would say no.

Virgin made a mess just installing it in out house, never mind digging a drive up. And their customer service and broadband is utter wank. It's nowhere near worth the hassle.

What do you get out of it, by the way?

Just to enlighten the contents of MN.

We're "contents" now? Nice.