Progress update: outcomes of meeting 10 May 2016

Thanks to everyone that came along to the Parish Council meeting with BT last week. The meeting was very well attended and it helped to drag some issues into the light and move things forward. BT was represented by David Axam (SE Regional Director), Paul Boichat (Senior Project Manager, BDUK Delivery – East & West Sussex) and Adrian Paice (Openreach Manager for technical/logistical aspects). The Parish Council’s minutes of this meeting are not yet available but here is a summary of some of the key points of BT’s presentation. PRESENTATION SUMMARY - East Sussex has 96% superfast coverage. Ditchling should have been in the coverage roll out in 2012 but planners couldn't find a solution to technical problems so they moved on to other projects they could deliver. David Axam took this up again in 2015. - Ditchling will be served by a number of superfast broadband cabinets. You can check which one serves your home by entering your postcode here: http://www.homeandwork.openreach.co.uk/when-can-i-get-fibre.aspx (or click the link below) - There is already a full operational superfast cabinet in Lewes Road (cabinet 18), which is not fully subscribed. [If you are served by this cabinet but don’t yet have superfast broadband, you should contact BT regarding installation.] - Agreement has already been reached to site another cabinet in Boddingtons Lane (cabinet 9) which will serve the north end of the village. Installation could be scheduled immediately but BT would if possible like to do the work on the village’s central cabinet (cabinet 4) at the same time. - Cabinet 4 is the problem cabinet. There are technical issues with each of the 4 possible sites identified: 1. Post Office 2. The Bull car park 3. Lamp post on South St 4. Footpath outside The Bull car park. A 5th possible site was also identified in The Ridings’ garden on South St. - The Post Office and The Bull car park sites require way leaves, but neither landowner would give permission. - The current most promising location, the lamp post on South St, has one or two low voltage cables close by, which may be a problem, but ESCC has given permission in principle. - Once a site has been confirmed, BT does not need planning permission but they have to issue a planning notification. Typically, there is a 9 month turnaround between a site agreement being reached and delivery. - East Sussex Highways Department insists the work has to be done in the winter to minimise disruption during the busiest times of the year, since the crossroads will have to be dug up and temporary traffic lights installed over a weekend to facilitate the work. Q&A: - After discussion, Dom Worrall, the owner of The Bull, stated that as he now understood (a) the road wouldn't have to be closed and (b) this work would be done in the winter, he'd be willing to discuss siting the cabinet in The Bull car park. [He took BT to look at it immediately after the meeting. He will be given £758 compensation.] OUTCOMES Although a formal agreement with Dom is yet to be reached, it appears we may have a viable way forward. However, at the moment it still looks like June 2017 is the earliest we can expect the central cabinet 4 to be up and running. All in all, the meeting made some progress - mainly thanks to Dom's offer - but left BT lots of wriggle room if they don't fulfil their obligations by June 2017. HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO NEXT… We need to keep the pressure up. Given the Highways Department’s insistence that the work is done in winter, it is logical to conclude that if the site of Cabinet 4 isn't agreed soon, it won't get done this winter, the June 2017 deadline won't be met and we may have to wait another whole year. Please contact BT for more information about their proposed schedule. If you are served by the North End cabinet (cabinet 9), please contact BT to ask why your installation is dependent on agreement being reached on the central cabinet (cabinet 4). There is no reasonable explanation for waiting to do the work at the same time, given that BT has already installed cabinets elsewhere in the village (notably cabinet 18 on Lewes Rd). If you do not seem to be served by any of the cabinets discussed (cabinets 4, 9 and 18), please contact BT for more information. The relevant contact are: craig.mcquade@bt.com paul.boichat@bt.com stacey.king@bt.com adrian.2.paice@openreach.co.uk david.axam@bt.com gavin.e.patterson@bt.com Don McBeth, chair of Ditchling Parish Council, continues to lead negotiations with BT. You can write to him for more information at ditchlingpc@btinternet.com. You can also find the minutes of Ditchling PC’s meetings here: http://www.ditchlingpc.org.uk/meetings. Please leave any questions and comments below. Thank you for your continuing support.