RESIDENTS in a Droitwich neighbourhood have slammed Fibre Heroes over plans to install 30ft to 40ft poles for faster broadband.
People living in Ledwych Road on the Westacre estate say they would be happy with better Internet access but fail to see why cables cannot be fed underground, rather than stationed on the unsightly poles.
The area has never had overhead cables before and residents feel their introduction would have a hugely detrimental impact, changing the appearance of the area.
One resident Julia Jones said: “We’re not against faster fibre of course, but not at the expense of the look of the neighbourhood.
“We assumed the cables would have been put underground.”
Residents were also unhappy they were initially only given until the end of December to have their say. But that has now been extended until Monday, January 16.
Despite that, they say they still feel helpless to stop the plan and ‘it will go ahead anyway’.
Mrs Jones added: “We wouldn’t have minded if there was no alternative but there is.”
A petition has also been started and has amassed almost 100 names.
FullFibre’s response
A FullFibre spokesperson said it was working hard to bring full fibre broadband to Droitwich, to future-proof the town for generations to come and ensure it remained a popular place to live and work.
And she added she was aware the upgrade would bring disruption and change.
“It is genuinely really important to us that we listen to any reservations or questions that residents have, and this is why we write out individually to residents to see if we can make the positioning of new poles less impactful.”
She confirmed the consultation had been extended until Monday and said should people suggest amendments from that point until the specific pole has been installed, it would continue to consider them.
“We have also already amended the location of three of the planned poles as a result of local residents’ suggestions,” she added.
The spokesperson concluded FullFibre had endeavoured to design the build with minimum impact on the area but that was not always possible – the firm would work with residents as much as it could to minimise the visual impact.
