We are residents of Whinmoor who take pride in our community. Right now, private companies like Giggle Fibre are bypassing the modern standard of underground infrastructure in favour of a cheap, "quick-fix" rollout of 30ft wooden telegraph poles.

This isn't just an eyesore; it’s a direct threat to our community’s character and our financial security.

1. Failure to Provide Legal Notice - Giggle Fibre has already  failed to provide the statutory 28-day notice required by the Electronic Communications Code, A formal letter from Cllr James Gibson (Cross Gates & Whinmoor Ward) dated 01.05.2026 confirms that "there appears to be no record of such notification having been made" . They are treating Whinmoor like a playground where the rules don't apply.
2. Financial Damage to Homeowners - Installing 30ft wooden poles directly outside homes isn't just a visual nuisance—it’s a financial blow. Industry research suggests that prominent utility infrastructure can reduce property values by up to 10%. On an average Leeds home, that’s a potential loss of thousands of pounds. Giggle Fibre is effectively offloading their costs onto residents through devalued house prices.
3. Choosing Profit Over Quality - The law states that cables should be installed underground where "reasonably practicable." For decades, providers like Openreach and Virgin have managed to go underground in Whinmoor. Giggle Fibre is choosing poles because it’s 10x cheaper for them, leaving us to live with the visual clutter forever.
4. Safety and Accessibility - Whinmoor’s pavements are already narrow. Placing massive wooden poles in the middle of footpaths creates a direct obstruction for parents with prams, wheelchair users, and the visually impaired.
5. Spending Wasted & Visual Intrusion - If your paths were recently resurfaced using your Council Tax, the Council has the power under Section 58 of the NRSWA 1991 to protect that new tarmac from being dug up for up to 3 years. By staying silent, the Council is effectively inviting Giggle Fibre to "cherry-pick" our estate. Beyond the tarmac, these 9m poles (standing ~7.2m above ground) represent a massive blow to our visual amenity. The Council’s own records for Whinmoor establish that existing street furniture in our area is only 6m high. Introducing structures that are 20% taller than every other lamp post creates an "incongruous feature" and an "alien structure" in our open-plan environment.
6. The Connection Loophole - Giggle is manipulating the law by labelling these massive distribution poles as 'New Customer Connections' to give themselves a legal shield. In reality, Section 58 is intended to help residents access essential utilities, not to allow a private company to exploit loopholes for quick profit by bypassing the underground-only mandate (H32/1072/78) established for this estate.

Whinmoor Phase II was conceived and built under Planning Consents H32/1072/78 and H32/450/78 with a clear mandate for underground utility infrastructure. For 45 years, this estate has remained free of overhead clutter. To introduce telegraph poles now is not an 'upgrade'—it is a violation of the original planning conditions that define our neighbourhood's character.

Our Demands to Leeds City Council and Richard Burgon MP:

• Issue Immediate Stop Notices: Halt all work where the legal 28-day notice was ignored.
• Enforce the "Underground First" Rule: Demand a technical audit for every pole to prove why they can’t dig like every other provider.
• Protect Property Values: Use Section 130 of the Highways Act to remove any poles that obstruct pedestrians or devalue the public realm.
• Trigger an Article 4 Direction: Remove "permitted development" rights for these poles in our ward, forcing a transparent planning process.

Sign this petition to tell Giggle Fibre and the Council: Whinmoor is our home, not a dumping ground for cheap infrastructure. Dig it, don't pole it.