Overhead power line compensation.

plsadvise · 20 June 2014 at 7:54PM

I will post as soon as I hear from them, thanks Mobilejo

PhilipPrice · 15 July 2015 at 11:07PM

Resurrecting an old thread but I have recently received a letter from Sherwill Drake Forbes surveyors saying I should be entitled to compensation (-10% plus VAT) for overhead lines supported by wooden poles. This thread has been, by far, the most help I have found so thank you to all contributors especially mobilejo.

crescenthill · 15 August 2015 at 8:10AM

Dear all
This has been a very informative thread. Thanks mobilejo for your contributions.
If you're still online I would appreciate your (or others) opinion on the following...
I live in a little group of old farmers cottages with a shared driveway. My neighbour a few doors down wishes to have the overhead power cables, which supply all our homes, removed from his garden as he wishes to extend his home and I'm supportive of this.
Western Power wanted to dig up the shared driveway to lay underground cable to which many of us said no as it is relatively new and of highway grade quality (moling is not appropriate on this site).
As I own the vast majority of land surrounding the houses I have suggested the least disruptive route would be lay the cable on my land (grazing paddocks) and route the cables through our back gardens (rather than dig up driveways etc) and I think we are all agreed this would be the best route forward for all.
My question is am I entitled to compensation for the disruption of laying several hundreds of metres of cables on my land and the easement that goes with it?
Many thanks for your replies...

lincroft1710 · 15 August 2015 at 1:48PM

crescenthill wrote: »

Western Power wanted to dig up the shared driveway to lay underground cable to which many of us said no as it is relatively new and of highway grade quality (moling is not appropriate on this site).
As I own the vast majority of land surrounding the houses I have suggested the least disruptive route would be lay the cable on my land (grazing paddocks) and route the cables through our back gardens (rather than dig up driveways etc) and I think we are all agreed this would be the best route forward for all.
My question is am I entitled to compensation for the disruption of laying several hundreds of metres of cables on my land and the easement that goes with it?

Western Power have 3 options :

1. Don't do anything
2. Dig up drive
3. Dig up your land at your suggestion.

Why should WP pay you for something you want doing for your neighbour's benefit?

crescenthill · 15 August 2015 at 10:05PM

lincroft1710 I don't actually need to do anything. I'm happy with the power supply as it is, it's of absolutely no consequence to me if the work is or is not done and right now if it goes ahead I will have a paddock out of action until the grass recovers.
WP have already told me they will pay us - it was an offer, not a demand. We are helping WP solve a problem as they legally cannot leave the overhead lines on my neighbour's land as he has served them notice.
I'm looking for facts, not opinions please.

lincroft1710 · 16 August 2015 at 2:23PM

crescenthill wrote: »

WP have already told me they will pay us - it was an offer, not a demand. We are helping WP solve a problem as they legally cannot leave the overhead lines on my neighbour's land as he has served them notice.
I'm looking for facts, not opinions please.

Your second post gives information which should have been given in your first post. I'm sorry but I can only offer opinion, so cannot usefully comment further.

NELSONS_HERO · 20 September 2015 at 10:07AM

PhilipPrice wrote: »

Resurrecting an old thread but I have recently received a letter from Sherwill Drake Forbes surveyors saying I should be entitled to compensation (-10% plus VAT) for overhead lines supported by wooden poles. This thread has been, by far, the most help I have found so thank you to all contributors especially mobilejo.

My Parents have received a letter from this company. Just wondered if you took any action and what the outcome has been?

Hippo_horse · 13 October 2015 at 10:04AM

I've also just had a letter from sherwill drake Forbes regarding compensation for overhead power lines over my property. I had not heard of such a thing! How would I be able to pursue an enquiry about possible compensation without incurring any cost to myself? Any ideas anyone?

Robin9 · 13 October 2015 at 10:29AM

Hippo_horse wrote: »

I've also just had a letter from sherwill drake Forbes regarding compensation for overhead power lines over my property. I had not heard of such a thing! How would I be able to pursue an enquiry about possible compensation without incurring any cost to myself? Any ideas anyone?

You write to your local Electricity Supply Company - enclose a plan and give a Grid Reference - and ask them for a copy of the wayleave which you or a previous occupier signed. You will either be receiving a payment or have taken a lump sum for this.##

No need to involve SDF or anyone else.

selfhelp · 16 October 2015 at 4:10PM

This must be one of the most enlightening posts I have ever had the pleasure to trawl through. I think mainly because it is such a niche subject. Also to mention as per crescenthill many thanks to mobilejo for all the tireless input. Before I stumbled upon the post I have tried to sort myself and a colleague (Surveyor) has a name for me somewhere in the Midlands. However if anyone is aware of a valuer in the Bristol/Bath area please advise.

I contacted my network and considered trying to negotiate myself but in hindsight I wonder if this was slightly naive. After all their valuer isn't going to value in my favour and to date the company has been dragging their heels getting here.

The question is do you instruct an 'ambulance chaser' or do you instruct your own valuer for @ £600+ along with a solicitor and if you instructed independently am I right as per previous posts the network would meet these 'reasonable' fees of both solicitor and valuer. Also do we have a better class of ambulance chasers as compared to the PPI brigade. I think the decision, ultimately, lies with perceived compensation levels i.e. how much you wish to forego.

Coming back to value of claim the original poster is putting forward a property value of @ £95k with compensation of around £4k. I don't think it's an entirely clear rule of thumb as there will be many variables but are the networks therefore working on or around 5% of property value.

The cable I have running over dissects my property diagonally for @ 70 metres and is 3 thick lines bound as one similar to a plait. At both ends are wooden poles. I also have lines coming off of both poles at top and bottom of my property so I do seem to have been hit pretty hard with the wayleave stick.

As far as I can establish these lines may well have been here since the 40's as that's when the previous owner was here as I am still in contact and the family moved here originally around 1939. The property is in greenbelt with the average house price here @ £500k +. I have been here for around 8>9 years.

When I purchased the property I didn't pay any attention whatsoever to the power line and even if I did it wouldn't have stopped me buying. However with an easement registered at the Land Registry what anyone needs to be weighing up is whether this will have an adverse effect on sale price albeit any purchaser wouldn't immediately be aware of the easement. In a worst case scenario if you receive £30k compensation but someone either walks away from the sale or knocks you down £35k then repent at leisure.

Overhead power line compensation.

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