FTTP Missed Due to Permission to dig to pole

Hi All,

I recently became aware my property was showing as "Build planned between now and Mar-2025" and I've recently noticed a lot of surrounding houses started showing available for Full Fibre and there was a lot of OR work in the area which has now died down and there very little going on close by.

However the fibre checker still shows as above "Build planned between now and Mar-2025" so I started querying this with OR and it turns out that last year they where unable to get permission to DIG. So for reference the pole that feeds my house and a small block of neighbours, is in another neighbours garden behind me, so I assume this permissions to DIG is they where unable to obtain from my neighbour.

I do wonder why they couldn't just use the copper ducting.. rather than having to do a whole new dig (unless there is an issue with the duct)?? The contact at OR is going to check with the sweeper team to see if perhaps the address has now been included and/or a solution has been found by the sweeper team but I am not hopeful.

Picture of pole
https://imgur.com/a/h7KJC4P

Annoying situation, thinking of knocking on the door and just having a chat about it see if they have had any dealings with OR.

Thanks

Edited by SamBGB (Thu 27-Mar-25 16:15:22)

A picture of the base of the pole, with the capping visible would provide more detail

My line was DIG and my street was originally ignored whilst all the other around me (OH Feeds) got connected up.

They came back to my street about a year later, and done some micro-trenching.

I'd be asking for more information or a map of the area showing the issue. Openreach complaints were great when I contacted them, showing me the plans of area and how my street was DIG. They didn't have any further information though, I just had to wait it out.

I've spoken to the neighbour in question tonight, really friendly chap and he told me that a contractor just turned up to his address and asked for permission to dig up his drive (mono block) and he told him no because the guy didn't really give the air of confidence that the drive would be returned back to the state it was in before the dig.

I would assume that this mono block drive would have to be carefully pulled up and then returned back to its original state should OR (or) a contractor get permissions to do this work. It looks like the fibre junction is right outside his house too in the pavement (OR have already marked it previously) so they'd have to do a bit of the pavement and then bring up his drive up and then up to his back garden where the pole is currently.

There’s a little bit of cross purposes interpretation of “DIG” going on in this thread - just to weigh in here. A common acronym used in Openreach-land called DiG or Direct in Ground - this refers to individual customer connections from the street that were once upon a time (mostly for cost reasons) not ducted, but rather the cable was simply directly buried in the ground. Cheap cheerful and did the job.

Fast forward 30, 40 years and we now have fibre cabling replacing all that copper (and sometimes aluminium cabling). Without a ducted connection it’s obviously far more expensive and time consuming for Openreach to either now lay proper ducts or get to you by other means underground

Now this is somewhat different to getting permission to ‘dig’ elsewhere on the network serving you - which is what this kind of sounds like - with underground access to a pole feeding your connection.

If your house connection is ducted from the street with your existing copper connection then Openreach will typically use this. Elsewhere where there are ducts on the network these will have copper running through, but may be congested (with cables) or need to be unlocked (from mud and [censored]). So could need dig-ing 😅

Ah yeah my bad there, ignore my previous post

Looks like this isn’t going to be as straight forward as getting the neighbours permission now.

From openreach

Essentially the project team that led this build programme (Fibre Cities) have completed their build, meaning the programme along with its budget has closed, they have since handed the exchange area over to our ‘sweeper programme’.

As previously discussed, the sweeper programme is responsible for completing any remaining works which were left from previous build programmes, this includes small sections of cabling, jointing, splicing and poling but does not include extensive dig/civils related work, complex works, etc.

I mention the above because the original programme covering these works has come to a closure, therefore they won’t be able to reattend the site and make contact with the landowner again to discuss the permission to work/dig. I have however been made aware that the sweeper programme is being moved into your area

How has your contact with Openreach been initiated / via what means exactly?

Have they been been referred by the executive escalations team within Openreach?

Yes this is with the executive team.

In that case you’ve played your ace and your joker and you will have to hope the sweeper team come good on appeal. Good luck. 🤞