Dozens of protesters occupied the steps of Southport Town Hall this morning to send a defiant message to Openreach officials. Their campaign centres on Openreach’s plans to erect telegraph poles around Southport that will transmit FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) and connect properties to their ultra-fast fibre broadband network.
However, the installation of poles is facing opposition from a growing number of local residents who feel the ‘alien’ objects are being imposed on them without consultation. Campaigners in Southport welcome the upgrade programme but are very clear about their opposition to telegraph poles: they consider them unsightly, harmful to wildlife and less effective than the underground cables they want to see instead.
Earlier this year, Sefton Parish Council called on Openreach to suspend its plans to erect telegraph poles across Southport after being inundated with complaints from local residents. In addition, former Southport MP Damien Moore and newly elected Labour MP Patrick Hurley have also voiced their support for the campaigners. On 16 July, Mr Hurley wrote to the Secretary of State to raise the issue of Openreach’s “abuse of loopholes” in the “permitted development” legislation. He stated: “Our community has peacefully protested against Openreach’s actions but this should not be necessary.”
“In March, the former Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure wrote to Openreach that new masts should only be installed where an underground line “is not reasonably practicable and only after ensuring that appropriate community engagement has taken place.”
“Despite this intervention and significant objections from local residents, Openreach has continued to push for the installation of telegraph poles in our streets.”
Openreach’s plans to erect the telegraph poles have gone ahead without approval from Sefton Council’s planning team. This is because the erection of these poles is covered by Permitted Development Rights (PDRs) – a statutory tool contained in the Town and Country Planning Order 2015. This means that planning permission can be granted for certain types of development without the need for approval from the local planning authority or consultation with local residents.
The LDRS understands that Openreach attended a meeting of the Southport Operational Group at the Town Hall this morning. The meeting was held in camera and no minutes will be published. However, all councillors in the Southport area were involved – many of whom publicly expressed their support for the concerns of local residents.
Brian is one of the founding members of the anti-telegraph pole protest group and was present outside Southport Town Hall this morning. He said: “Openreach seem to have pulled back for a while and things have been quieter so far this summer.”
“We have organised a protest today to show that residents are still putting up a strong resistance. We want Openreach to know that we are determined and will not go away.”
“As soon as Openreach tries to show up on our streets with telegraph poles again, we will be there and raise our voices.”
An Openreach spokesperson said: “We know that some people in Southport have strong views on masts and we understand why. For many months our local team have been talking intensively with residents and the council, even discussing the positioning of individual masts.”
“Today we attended a council meeting to update our plans to invest a further £9 million to bring fibre optic broadband to tens of thousands more homes and businesses in the coming months and years.
“We have discussed in detail how we plan and build our network. This may include erecting new masts if this is considered the best solution. We will also use existing lines or masts where we can use our infrastructure in a way that complies with planning regulations and ensures the safety of communities and our engineers.”
