Getting BT wire moved?

AdrianC

We've got a couple of electric poles in our (fairly large) garden. Because the electricity wires are tangled in trees, we've had the people responsible for the power infrastructure in a couple of times lately to plan tree surgery. Whilst talking to them, we've also started planning for them to move one of the poles (complete with transformer) back a few metres to give us space to build a garage. They've suggested that the entire run from the transformer, to the other pole, and off towards our boundary and the neighbours, where there'll be a new pole to take the cable over a stream, should be moved underground. Our only contribution to all this work is to dig the trench for the ducting the cable'll run through. Works for me!

Except the pole that's going to be removed is also used by the BT line to those neighbours... Not us, ours comes off a different pole before that.

So I've just been in contact with OpenReach's external network relocation team.

They're happy to come and look and plan what they can do - BUT... they're going to charge £199 _just_ to come and look. Any work going forward will be chargeable.

Compared to the electricity situation, this seems to be an utter rip-off, not least because BT don't even pay a wayleave fee (the electric one isn't exactly lucrative).

Any suggestions for how best to move forward with this? Does anybody know if there'd be an issue with the BT line going to a pole with 11kV-240v transformer? If not, then the work is relatively straightforward.

ValHaller

I take it that the pole mounted transformer will be retained but fed at 11kV from an underground cable.

If that is the case, I doubt Openreach will want their overheads on that pole, because there will be a lot of hardware on it already.

Your best bet would have been to stay out of it and let the electricity company deal with Openreach., only getting involved if you had something to offer to resolve a stalemate. As it is, Openreach are going to be thinking they can pin the costs onto you.

If you ask for Openreach to pay for rearranging their cables, you will pay. If the electricity company tell Openreach that they are removing their pole, Openreach must make their own arrangements at their own cost.

AdrianC

ValHaller wrote: »

I take it that the pole mounted transformer will be retained but fed at 11kV from an underground cable.

The transformer will remain (but moved a bit). The 11kV comes in overhead.

ValHaller

OK, Openreach will be left to sort out their own pole. They basically have an agreement to use electricity poles without wayleave, the wayleave being a matter for the electricity distributor.

As I see it, although I am decades out of date on this, Openreach will have to sort out a new pole for themselves once the electricity is moved. You should not pay Openreach anything to come and look. Perhaps the best thing is to let it run until you have the electricity change confirmed and then write to them advising that they will be faced with a pole move and offer them the chance to come and survey at their own cost to agree a position rather than place their pole back in the footprint of your new garage.

AdrianC

ValHaller wrote: »

Perhaps the best thing is to let it run until you have the electricity change confirmed and then write to them advising that they will be faced with a pole move and offer them the chance to come and survey at their own cost to agree a position rather than place their pole back in the footprint of your new garage.

Makes sense. Thanks.

nexttonothning

Just found this post. We have the opposite......

We wanted to move the main Electricity supply coming into the front of the house (old house we are renovating) to the rear - having put in a NEW meter box in anticipation.....!! thinking to help the meter reader by not having to come into the house. We contacted Western Power about this only to find they charge £250 initial fee plus £450 not sure what this is for plus £10 per metre for cable plus £9 per metre to clip the wire to the soffit board. In all a total of £1150.0 to move the wire from down one side of gable to the other and along approx. 15 metres to NEW metre box. We had an engineer come (no fee) who said best to run a cable from the meter by the front door through and across the house to the new consumer box at the other end of the house at the rear. AND 'sod' the meter reader.....!!!

We also wanted to move the BT line from the same area to the rear landing - had an engineer come (fee £199.0) looked at the situation and said he would ring me with a quote - we expected a further £144.0. He rang two days later and said as we had already paid £199 and in essence it was only a line change of position we didn't need to pay anymore. AND that was completely moving the line to a different pole (by out back gate) and a new line into the house. (lovely man)