Openreach wayleave

Following a car accident that snapped a telegraph pole, Openreach want to relocate said pole onto my land. What is the going rate for this and how much should I be asking? The line caters for hundreds of people.
Thanks.
 
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TheRanger

Member
Location
SW Scotland
We got £185 last year for moving a pole from the road side of a hedge to our side of the hedge, as they wanted to fit a bigger pole and wasn't enough room on roadside for it. It’s basically in the middle of the hedge now, so not an issue.

told them I wanted the old pole left when I signed the paperwork and although that was written on the contract I signed they turned up a few months later to do the job and didn't leave it. Next time they want something I wont be accommodating them.
 

melted welly

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
DD9.
Open reach are terrible to deal with. They are upgrading the cables here, and want to run new cable along a track to neighbours property. Met the surveyor when I thought he was some random man in a van up to no good poking about. Had a fairly detailed discussion on the proposed route as there are factors such as field drain outlets, water pipes, underground electric supply etc.

Plan and wayleaves agreement came thru, plan totally contrary to the discussion we had, the proposed route will conflict with everything mentioned above. We have previous experience of them trenching thru a drain outlet and that took over a year to resolve. They’ve also got the farm name wrong and spelt our name wrong.

The contact name and number supplied couldn’t be less interested, doesn’t respond to emails, barely ever answers the phone and when he does isn’t interested in doing anything. So we’re in a stalemate, wayleave agreement is for over £8k so not insignificant.

What have others done in this situation? Can you amend a printed version with notes? Would that be suitable, if nothing else but to get some sort of response from appropriate people?
 

Nearly

Member
Location
North of York
Openreach took 2 years to negotiate a wayleave for fibre. Agreed route, agreed depth, warned about 25mm water pipe etc etc.

Openreach employees (not subbies) broke into the locked farmyard without notice and trenched a completely different route through the easier digging in the field. Only 9" deep in places.

The last laugh is mine as we've sold the yard and field so when someone ploughs the cable into 14" sections it's not in the correct place for the wayleave paperwork.

A set of complete twits.
 
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Boohoo

Member
Location
Newtownabbey
Open reach are terrible to deal with. They are upgrading the cables here, and want to run new cable along a track to neighbours property. Met the surveyor when I thought he was some random man in a van up to no good poking about. Had a fairly detailed discussion on the proposed route as there are factors such as field drain outlets, water pipes, underground electric supply etc.

Plan and wayleaves agreement came thru, plan totally contrary to the discussion we had, the proposed route will conflict with everything mentioned above. We have previous experience of them trenching thru a drain outlet and that took over a year to resolve. They’ve also got the farm name wrong and spelt our name wrong.

The contact name and number supplied couldn’t be less interested, doesn’t respond to emails, barely ever answers the phone and when he does isn’t interested in doing anything. So we’re in a stalemate, wayleave agreement is for over £8k so not insignificant.

What have others done in this situation? Can you amend a printed version with notes? Would that be suitable, if nothing else but to get some sort of response from appropriate people?
It won't matter what has been agreed or what is in the plan, Openreach and their subcontractors will put the new cable wherever is easiest for them.
 

puppet

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
sw scotland
Like a lot of subcontractors to major utilities they give a competitive quote then have to take the easiest route.
Broke the 4 inch main 2 nights in a row putting poles up here. Told to hand dig in a wet corner but just reversed the lorry in and got stuck. 2 tractors to pull it out.
I was away but would have left them there. Local wrecker is £800 just to leave the yard.
 

jre

Member
Location
East Fife
Open reach are terrible to deal with. They are upgrading the cables here, and want to run new cable along a track to neighbours property. Met the surveyor when I thought he was some random man in a van up to no good poking about. Had a fairly detailed discussion on the proposed route as there are factors such as field drain outlets, water pipes, underground electric supply etc.

Plan and wayleaves agreement came thru, plan totally contrary to the discussion we had, the proposed route will conflict with everything mentioned above. We have previous experience of them trenching thru a drain outlet and that took over a year to resolve. They’ve also got the farm name wrong and spelt our name wrong.

The contact name and number supplied couldn’t be less interested, doesn’t respond to emails, barely ever answers the phone and when he does isn’t interested in doing anything. So we’re in a stalemate, wayleave agreement is for over £8k so not insignificant.

What have others done in this situation? Can you amend a printed version with notes? Would that be suitable, if nothing else but to get some sort of response from appropriate people?
Similar situation here, found 7 marker posts along a track and 1 in my field that goes to 5 properties. They are putting fibre cable in . Just by luck I caught an open reach van in our yard checking the fibre cable they had put in to the farm and cottages. Chatting to him he mentioned they were putting fibre along the track to the 5 properties. When I asked him how they were doing that, "oh we're putting poles along the track, we don't know who owns the track and field he says". Soon put him wise to that one, Had a meeting with them last week and they agreed to put the cable underground with just 1 pole in the field. Main man says I'll fill out the wayleave for you to sign now. Told him it'll go to my agent first. Meant to get a plan as well showing where cable is going. Never arrived. Got a phone call yesterday to see how we were progressing, told we weren't as we hadn't got a map plan. Total bunch of chancers.
 
Anyone know what the annual payments per pole should be if you don't take a one off payment?
From my research it was around £10/pole/Yr. But that didn't come from anyone who was actually in an agreement.
My one never actually ended up happening because they made a mistake as to where they were putting the post.
 

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