Surrey telegraph poles needed for broadband 'an eyesore'

Surrey residents say telegraph poles which are appearing outside their homes, without needing planning permission, are an "eyesore".

Broadband provider toob is building a new network of fibre-optic cables to supply more than 20,000 premises in Camberley and Frimley.

The government has committed to rolling out fibre broadband coverage across all of the UK by 2033.

One resident said she had returned home to find a pole at the end of her drive.

She posted online: "Came home from work last night to this. I don't want this eyesore."

Toob said it planned to extend its coverage over the next few years to Guildford, Mytchett, Frimley Green, Ash, Ash Vale, Tongham, Woking and West Byfleet, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

As part of its levelling up agenda, the government wants to address the disparity between urban and rural areas including rolling out fibre broadband coverage across the UK.

To enable this, changes to the law since April this year give permitted development rights to designated communications network operators rolling out broadband.

This means they can build the poles without having to apply for planning permission from the local planning authority.

Paul Reynolds and his neighbours in Holly Hedge Road in Frimley, said they were "totally opposed" to the imminent pole installations which would "totally ruin our local environment" and "devalue our houses".

They found out about the 9m high poles through a letter from toob.

Mr Reynolds said: "How can this be allowed without consultation with residents?

"There are already underground ducts along the street used by BT and by Virgin so there is no logic in fitting poles.

Gavin Pidduck, toob's business operations manager, said: "We are not able to use ducts from other cable networks like Virgin Media as [there are] no current legal regulatory requirements on them to do so."

A Surrey Heath Borough Council spokeswoman said operators were required to "minimise the visual impact of new development on the surrounding area as far as possible".

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