Electricity cables over my land

michael8626

Hi

I have put in a planning application to develop a small section of land for a residential dwelling. My neighbours electricity and telephone cables run overhead on this piece of land. 

Can I have legally have these removed and rerouted underground if I burden some or all of the cost? 

Thanks 

canaldumidi

You would have to apply to the relevant electricity and telecoms authorities. I imagine they'd start by doing a survey (at your cost) and then either say 'No', or quote you the cost of re-routing or burying the cables.

It won't be cheap.

ProDave

The first thing to establish is whether there is a wayleave or any other agreement for them to be there.  If so then you will have to pay to have them moved.

If however there is no wayleave in place you have a good argument to serve notice to have them removed, and then they start negotiating with your best option to be to say you will grant a wayleave if they are undergrounded or re routed so as not to affect your plans.  Underground is almost certainly best (though not under where you wish to build) as there are restrictions on building close to overhead lines.

martindow

Do the cables in their present position stop you from building or would they just be crossing the garden of the new house.

michael8626

No wayleave in place, the cables would be directly over the new build. I will need to bring in cables underground for the build so hopefully can incorporate everything at the same time? I didn’t know if I can ‘enforce’ this on my neighbour tho? 

user1977

michael8626 said:

No wayleave in place, the cables would be directly over the new build. I will need to bring in cables underground for the build so hopefully can incorporate everything at the same time? I didn’t know if I can ‘enforce’ this on my neighbour tho? 

They're the utility companies' cables, not your neighbour's (I assume). Yes, I expect it will cause some disruption to your neighbour though.

ProDave

Okay, no wayleave, serve them notice to remove the cables.  They won't do that, they will negotiate with you, and you can agree an alternative underground location that won't affect the build and agree a new power connection for the new build during that process.

peterhjohnson

Also check your deeds. There might be a clause in there about power/gas/water/drains giving the companies rights. 

martindow

ProDave said:

Okay, no wayleave, serve them notice to remove the cables.  They won't do that, they will negotiate with you, and you can agree an alternative underground location that won't affect the build and agree a new power connection for the new build during that process.

Is that really correct?  Utility companies have a lot of rights to provide their supplies.

Even if you are correct that they can be obliged to move the cables in the absence of a wayleave, putting them underground I imagine is a lot more expensive than repositioning poles.  I don't think you would be able to insist that they are buried unless you come to an agreement to pay for that.

ProDave

martindow said:

ProDave said:

Okay, no wayleave, serve them notice to remove the cables.  They won't do that, they will negotiate with you, and you can agree an alternative underground location that won't affect the build and agree a new power connection for the new build during that process.

Is that really correct?  Utility companies have a lot of rights to provide their supplies.

Even if you are correct that they can be obliged to move the cables in the absence of a wayleave, putting them underground I imagine is a lot more expensive than repositioning poles.  I don't think you would be able to insist that they are buried unless you come to an agreement to pay for that.

Every case is individual and probably to some extend how hard ball you play in the negotiations, but I do know of one self builder that got them undergrounded for free and all he paid for was the new connection to the new house.

But to give you an idea of actual costs if you have to pay, another one I know, the cables were there legally, and to have 2 spans of an 11Kv 3 phase overhead line undergrounded cost him £10K