Please help re telegraph pole

[Cuckoosheep]

Hi, I've posted in legal too but thought it maybe an idea to post here too.

I came home today to find a telephone pole had been installed at the side of our house. It's about 2m from our house wall and approx 16-18 cm from the boundary with grass and a fence between.

We wanted to extend on the side in the next year or so but the company that owns the pole have informed me that we cannot "dig" within 5m of the pole. This means that any extension on the side is out of the question and if we pull down the conservatory on the back and want to extend there we won't be able to replace the foundations.

There was no consultation as apparently they don't need to as it's for WiFi (we already have WiFi underground).

The other thing is that surely if we now want to sell, our property is worth less as any buyer wouldn't be able to extend on the land either?

I can't find anywhere that specifies the 5m radius however I did find it for power lines.

Does anyone have any ideas or experience please?

WiFi underground?

There is already cables underground. The cables that are being installed are like old fashioned telegraph cables overhead. We currently have a couple of providers that we can get fibre from.

You can dig within 5m of a pole, you just need a Close Approach Consent. They may require you to put supports around the pole before you start digging.

@Commah thank you. I asked the company about this but the person I spoke to had never heard of them, there is also no mention on their website. How would we go about applying for that and can we be declined please?

I have done some digging and found we can oppose on the basis of interest in the land is capable of being prejudice? I don't suppose you know anything about this please?

I don’t have expert advice, but to begin with can you speak or drop an email to your local Govt Planning Officer for advice?

For starters they aren’t allowed to dig within a few metres of your house wall without permission…

I’m wondering if you live in my village. There have been contractors plonking down loads of telegraph poles in odd locations over the last week, including right next to people’s houses.

@Identifyingasadolphin I did call them. They said to raise it on their website as a planning breach as the company hadn't given the council so many days notice that they would be doing the work.

As it is a utility they can pretty much do what they want - is what I've been told. It seems from discussion with other neighbours that it's a kind of land grab before the code that they have to adhere to gets changed. Apparently when the law was changed is was so wifi could be rolled out to areas that need it sith the intention of cables going underground.

I’m not an expert. I just know my dad had to apply for one when he did his extension due to a pole outside his garden wall. He just applied online and got the paperwork through within a few days.

If it is a new pole and not a replacement you can appeal against it. Contact your local citizens advice office for more help
forums.thinkbroadband.com/fibre/4642490-new-telegraph-pole-installed-out-side-house.html?fpart=all&vc=1

Is it toob? The new cheaper Wi-Fi for the future! If you have Wi-Fi and a mobile phone this is what’s going to happen, or is it ok as long as it’s near someone else’s home and not yours?