Anger rises for Stourport residents against Fibre Heroes

The Stourport Action Group Against The Poles is fighting back against plans from Fibre Heroes to install 35-foot-high telegraph masts across several areas of the town including Ash Grove and the Hartlebury Park Estate.

Residents support having better broadband, but they believe the poles are unattractive, damaging to birds and less effective than the underground cables they want instead.

The group have since collected hundreds of signatures in a petition, but at a meeting on November 3, Fibre Heroes told them the plans would still go ahead even if every resident said they would not sign up for its broadband services.

Co-founder of the Stourport Action Group Against the Poles, Glenda Brown, 75, said: “This is shocking. How do Fibre Heroes think they can get away with this? What does democracy mean if all the people who live in an area don’t want it and say they won’t ever use it?

“Then random companies turn up and say they have a right to put up their poles and overhead wires anywhere and everywhere.”

Resident Sheila Law lives in one of the areas affected by the plans (Image: Clive Wood)

Stourport Town Councillor Dale Morris added: "We have no objection to Ultrafast Broadband coming to Stourport, as this will benefit everyone. The problem is the way it is installed as Telegraph Poles seem to be the quickest and cheapest way.”

Residents have been told the poles, which do not need planning permission, are vital to bringing a 21st century network to the UK and underground cables are too expensive.

Despite this, Openreach is currently installing ultra-fast broadband cables across the town and aims to put them out-of-sight where possible.

At the meeting, Councillor Chris Rogers, Councillor Dale Morris and local MP Mark Garnier were told by Fibre Heroes representative, Matt Smith, they still need to get information in writing that broadband will be delivered to each property underground to stop the work.

Resident Sheila Law, 79, said: “Everyone in our road says they don’t want their broadband or their poles. If Fibre Heroes put their poles up, we could end up with a forest of poles from other companies too. It is ridiculous.

“When this estate was built back in the sixties, they were far-sighted enough to put phone lines in the ground even though lots of people didn’t even have phones.

“How is it now in 2023 these companies are allowed to go for the cheapest and nastiest looking ways of doing it?”

Read more: Stourport residents fight back against Fibre Heroes

Councillor Chris Rogers added: “Telegraph poles erected by operators for the expansion of FTTP broadband do not need planning permission under the Electronic Communications Code 2003 and The Town and Country Planning Order 2015.

“There's no requirement to consider alternatives like underground cabling or to inform residents of the installation, so no opportunity for them to engage. The first knowledge residents have of a pole installation is when it appears on their street.

“There is a growing number of people across the country who believe that this regulation needs urgent review.”

Fibre Heroes said it does not believe Openreach will be taking a different approach to them in future, and it is using existing underground ducts where feasible.

The company added: “It’s really important to us that we listen to the communities we build in, and the residents have the opportunity to adapt the designs where engineering standards allow.

“We’re aware this upgrade can bring a level of disruption and change; however, we hope residents can understand the importance of this vital upgrade and recognise the very positive impact that this new infrastructure will have on their lives now and in the future.”

The company added the law around permitted development is unlikely to change.