Broadway residents plea: 'Wychavon remove broadband poles'

Those living on The Sands Estate in Broadway are calling for council action after 22 broadband poles were installed.

Villagers had been protesting since June 2023 after Full Fibre revealed it would be installing ultra-fast broadband - but many residents say it is unnecessary as the estate already has broadband underground.

Residents want to see the poles in Broadway taken down. (Image: Amanda Gray)Speaking on behalf of the estate, Amanda Grey said: "It is so frustrating as every day, you walk past the poles, and it is horrendous. 

"Neighbours in Broadway want their clear skies back and want Wychavon District Council to remove the installed poles as soon as possible."

She added councils should have evoked Article 4 (which allows councils to take control over developments that would normally be allowed) when Full Fibre revealed its plan for the area.

Cllr Emma Kearsey, executive board member for Planning, Infrastructure and Urban Design on Wychavon District Council, said the council recognises residents' concerns and has gone above and beyond to find other solutions with Full Fibre.

FRUSTRATED: Many residents are angry with how the situation has progressed. (Image: Amanda Gray)However, local authorities lack the power to prevent the installation of communications poles under 15m and have no power to remove them once installed.

She added: "There has been extensive communication and several meetings involving senior managers from the companies carrying out the work involving myself, our director of economy and environment and even our chief executive, who has written to Ofcom, raising concerns.

"But as we have no powers to force operators to share apparatus or to require them to lay apparatus underground, our efforts have so far proved unsuccessful."

Wychavon District Council has now joined forces with the Local Government Association to lobby the Government to make changes to The Electronic Communications Code Regulations so communication companies are forced to share apparatus.

“Local councils up and down the country need more of a say and control over how this infrastructure is installed," she said.

"Making this change will still allow for the fast rollout of increased broadband speeds we all want to see, but not at the expense of our communities for commercial gain.”

A spokesperson for Full Fibre said: "We understand the frustrations that some residents have in relation to the installation of poles in Broadway.

"We have always communicated with residents about this process as much as possible and, in fact, we have gone above the legal requirements required to build this infrastructure.

"Wherever possible we re-use existing infrastructure, however, where there are cables connecting poles, this is because there is no existing infrastructure available to use.

"We really are keen to once again reassure the residents of Broadway that we have worked hard to deliver an affordable, future-proof and vital service to the area.

"We have done this as transparently and fairly as we can."