Fury in model village as broadband firm installs ‘eyesore’ telegraph poles

Built as a model village on the outskirts of Birmingham and home to many of the Cadbury factory workers, Bournville has for over a century been subject to strict planning laws to preserve its picturesque charm.

But in recent months, more than 100 large telegraph poles have suddenly appeared on its streets which residents describe as eyesores that are ruining the charm of the area designed by the Cadbury family.

“Because of where we live, I can’t even change my bathroom window without getting permission. Yet it seems as though these broadband companies can do whatever they like without getting permission from anybody,” said Trevor Wilson, 64, who returned from holiday to find a pole in front of his garden.

Liz Lund, 68, moved into her dream home in Bournville in 2020 for her retirement. “We just feel that it’s completely contrary to how the original Bournville village was conceived,” she said. “When the Cadburys laid it out, they were very keen that it be an attractive garden village with wide open uncluttered streets, nice landscaping. We’re very concerned this is eroding what is really unique about Bournville.”

The poles were erected by broadband provider Brsk, which claims to be “rolling out the fastest full fibre broadband the UK has to offer”, and in many places is creating its own infrastructure to do so.

Telegraph poles are classed as “permitted developments”, meaning they do not require planning permission, although companies are required to give notice to the local planning authority.

Residents in Bournville say there was no prior warning or consultation about the erection of the poles, and they were not given any information on how to appeal against them. Brsk denied this and said it did consult the local community and council.

They also said many of the poles have been coated in creosote, a coal-tar wood preservative banned for sale to the general public in the UK, which is leaking across pavements.

Fred Grindrod, Labour councillor for the Bournville ward, said it was not the case that residents did not want the broadband technology, but they felt cables could be installed underground or using existing poles.

“The Cadbury family were interested in making sure their communities kept up to date with the times. It’s not a case of saying, we’ve all got to be living exactly as we were in Victorian times. This is a progressive community,” he said. “But we want things done in the best way.”

The Bournville Village Trust, which manages the 400-hectare (1,000-acre) estate where many of the poles have appeared, said it would consider legal action if necessary.

“We have and will continue to raise both our own concerns and those of residents to make sure that these are clearly heard and action is taken by Brsk to address the issues raised,” said Tracey Rowe, head of estates and stewardship. “Some areas of the Bournville estate are protected by conservation area status and our own design guide and where any works breach rules in relation to this, we will take the appropriate and, if necessary, legal action.”

Bournville is not the only part of the country where residents have opposed the erection of telegraph poles, as new broadband providers carve a place in the market.

In October, the Birmingham Edgbaston MP, Preet Gill, wrote to Brsk asking the company to cease the installation of all poles in the constituency until residents had been consulted.

People in East Yorkshire have also been irked by new telegraph poles, amid a row between broadband providers over the sharing of infrastructure.

Julie Dervey, a campaigner from Hedon, a town east of Hull, said what began as a local fightback against the poles had “exploded” into a nationwide campaign, including a petition calling on the government to remove permitted development rights for telegraph poles.

“We were just a small group and we believed that we were the only ones this was happening to,” said Dervey. “But it’s happening all over, we’re now a nationwide group. The codes of practice say these companies are supposed to share any existing infrastructure. But they don’t want to do that.

“We’ve been pushing politicians to take action, get Ofcom to intervene. But the majority of people are just paying lip service to this, they’re not interested. They’re letting it happen.”

A spokesperson for Brsk said it was “fully committed to the government’s mandate to deliver gigabit broadband services nationwide by 2030”, which could only be achieved by upgrading current broadband infrastructure to full fibre.

“We pride ourselves on having open and ongoing communication throughout the build process,” the spokesperson said, adding that in Bournville “engagements and notice drops began early in 2023” and that “at least 30% of residents gave details to be kept informed of the build”.

Brsk said it also wrote to all councillors and MPs within the south Birmingham area about its plans, and poles for certain streets were put on hold after communication with the Bournville Village Trust.

“The planting of poles where necessary is widely used within the industry and generally accepted as the most effective and most environmentally friendly option to upgrade infrastructure, as using infrastructure underground is often not possible,” the spokesperson added.

• This article was amended on 3 April 2024 to clarify that Bournville residents did not have to be Cadbury workers; and to remove an incorrect reference to the height of the telegraph poles.