RESIDENTS in Appleton Thorn have objected to telegraph poles erected near their homes by high-speed broadband supplier, Freedom Fibre, because all their other utilities have underground connections.
Local Liberal Democrat Borough Councillor Helen Speed is supporting residents with their concerns.
Helen said, “Residents of Thorntree Green had chosen to wait for Open Reach to install them underground later. It took Freedom Fibre six weeks to respond to me when I complained. At the firm’s suggestion, a petition of objection was gathered and submitted at the end of March. It responded by saying this would be considered but we heard nothing more.
“Imagine the residents’ concern when the other day a team arrived to erect a second pole near to one erected previously in error. I went immediately to see the workmen who were sub-contractors for Freedom Fibre and asked them to stop work until they contacted Freedom Fibre, which they did. They couldn’t get permission to stop work permanently, but said the poles could be removed if residents made a successful appeal. I contacted Freedom Fibre directly but got no response.
“I have worked closely with residents to object to these poles. The sub-contractor told me that five poles that were planned will not now be erected, but the two poles that have been erected are still a concern for residents. I will be making an appeal to ask for them to be moved to the other side of the road, adjacent to a farmer’s field, where they won’t be in anyone’s way. This is what local people would like to happen. If Freedom Fibre had taken the trouble to communicate with myself and residents all this fuss could have been avoided.”
A spokesperson for Freedom Fibre said: “We have been in regular communication with Councillor Speed since the start of the year.
“As a result, we agreed to cancel our plan to erect the three poles in Thorntree Green that residents objected to.
“The two new telegraph poles we have installed, one near 33 Lumb Brook Road and one at the entrance to the nearby cul-de-sac, were not part of the objections raised and are integral to the build of the wider network.
“We only erect telegraph poles where there is no usable underground infrastructure.
“This approach is quicker, more-affordable, less disruptive and has less harmful impact on the environment.
“We should point out that residents of Thorntree Green will be unable to access ultra-fast broadband speeds while their near-neighbours will, and that there is no guarantee that other fibre broadband installers will offer consultation before they erect poles.”
