Electricity pole relocation

[TommoUK]

Worth a go. If you terminate, will it leave you without power? and will you have to pay to be reconnected. If so will this cost more than a service alteration? Could be six of one and half a dozen of the other.

Edited August 29 by TommoUK

[flanagaj]

4 hours ago, TommoUK said:

Worth a go. If you terminate, will it leave you without power? and will you have to pay to be reconnected. If so will this cost more than a service alteration? Could be six of one and half a dozen of the other.

Can all but try.  I have also tried to swing it, that it's in their interest to move the pole as they can replace it with ease whilst there is no building on the site.  Previously, they would not have been able to access it as a result of the office building and hedging that surrounded the site.   Now that has all gone, they can easily get a truck on the site to replace it.

[Alan Ambrose]

Impressed that they found the doc. 1956 I think rather than 1936. Are those numbers in shillings?

[Ferdinand]

I did this back in 2013 with a very similar Wayleave agreement, and a lot more equipment.

In our case it was dated to something like 1956, and we needed to give 12 months notice of our intention, and then would need to give 6 months notice for them to actually remove the equipment.

There's a detailed thread here, with much advice, including a couple of success stories:

My suggestion is, initially, just give notice strictly in accordance with the agreement, with no suggestions or promises or offers possible hostages to fortune. This will wake them up.

It's a right you hold that you are simply enforcing; keep it simple and don't complicate. Except perhaps add a "please do contact us if you need to have a further conversation" - make anything about 'necessary wayleaves' or any 'but but buttery' something they bring up when they already under notice requiring removal.

I think there is a distinction between supply to you and carrying supply across your land. The Wayleave will only apply to the supply across your land, but if the supply is also (or has been) to your plot in the form of an office building, you may be able to argue that they should replace it as it exists already, ('since 19xx'). They may get ruffled, but at that stage each thing you point out will tip them towards wanting a simple answer.

 

I don't think you have actually told us how much kit the pole is actually carrying.

One of your levers is that it is far easier for them to relocate it within your plot than have to find an alternative route, or pay to do loads of paperwork dealing with all your issues.

You could eventually say something like "we will let you keep it down the edge of our plot if a) it goes underground and b) you agree to install our lecky supply as part of the agreement and c) a new wayleave agreement has terms acceptable to us and maybe even d) You cover our out of pocket expenses. In this case you need to consider future maintenance access, and also if an underground cable would compromise any part of your build.

[flanagaj]

So, the survey was carried out by SSEN, and to move the pole 1.5m to our boundary they have quoted us 25k.  Do I simple now write to the wayleave department and give them notice to terminate?  I am obviously not paying 25k and given the pole that is on the plot is very old and did not get replaced when the others were done a few years ago, I think they are being a bit cheeky.

Edited October 17 by flanagaj

[Alan Ambrose]

That sounds a lot, did they give you a cost breakdown, drawing etc? They should do otherwise it’s just a ball park not a proper job estimate. What does the job involve? Post up the quote & drawing?

Edited October 17 by Alan Ambrose

[flanagaj]

11 hours ago, Alan Ambrose said:

That sounds a lot, did they give you a cost breakdown, drawing etc? They should do otherwise it’s just a ball park not a proper job estimate. What does the job involve? Post up the quote & drawing?

It basically states the following.  Struggling to understand why the pole being moved back requires a new HV pole further down to be replaced.

What we will do: LV Diversion Works required. Quote subject to wayleaves and third party consents. Client is building a new bungalow and the LV pole adjacent requires relocating. SSEN to dismantle 1x LV pole and 1x LV span of single phase LV. SSEN to install 1x new section pole and transfer 1x span of LV overhead, Install 1x Span of 95mm single phase ABC (out of balance stays maybe required and to be determined on site.  OCU have been to site and advised they have to replace 1x HV intermediate pole

I simply want to move the circled pole to the red line (about 1.5 -2 m)

Edited October 18 by flanagaj

[Alan Ambrose]

Ah don't quite follow (and resolution not good enough to read key):

 

+ "existing LV in ... blue" is actually show in yellow?

+ straight red line is exising HV?

+ pole to be moved is the one in the wavy blue circle? to be moved ot the boundary shown in red wavy?

 

My data point is one new LV pole installed / ~50m o/h line removed / replaced with ~50m underground in trench - added up to £16K (all by UKPN). (There was no attempt at negotiation afaik - wasn't my shout).

 

Are you actually payng for the new HV pole, or is that at their expense?

 

Looks to me like probably a new span of LV line is required (if the move results in a slighly longer route) plus a pole move. That's what the short written summary says. If you go ahead, it's worth watching whether they actually use new LV line. Ditto the HV pole.

 

They do tend to take the piss (for what will be a leisurely 1/2 day's work) although some on here have either been lucky or negotiated based on common sense. Probably 4 people on site - the pole guy with the machine to swap poles, a couple of riggers with a lift and a guy to put up red plastic 'safety barriers'. None are probably needed, but he'll probably put them up anyway. Easy for them to get their lifts and machines where they need them? Have they proposed traffic management or road closure? That's expensive.

Edited October 18 by Alan Ambrose

[flanagaj]

So we had the attached response from the Wayleave department.

 

 

SSE Wayleave Letter.pdf

[flanagaj]

On 18/10/2024 at 11:28, Alan Ambrose said:

Ah don't quite follow (and resolution not good enough to read key):

 

+ "existing LV in ... blue" is actually show in yellow?

+ straight red line is exising HV?

+ pole to be moved is the one in the wavy blue circle? to be moved ot the boundary shown in red wavy?

 

My data point is one new LV pole installed / ~50m o/h line removed / replaced with ~50m underground in trench - added up to £16K (all by UKPN). (There was no attempt at negotiation afaik - wasn't my shout).

 

Are you actually payng for the new HV pole, or is that at their expense?

 

Looks to me like probably a new span of LV line is required (if the move results in a slighly longer route) plus a pole move. That's what the short written summary says. If you go ahead, it's worth watching whether they actually use new LV line. Ditto the HV pole.

 

They do tend to take the piss (for what will be a leisurely 1/2 day's work) although some on here have either been lucky or negotiated based on common sense. Probably 4 people on site - the pole guy with the machine to swap poles, a couple of riggers with a lift and a guy to put up red plastic 'safety barriers'. None are probably needed, but he'll probably put them up anyway. Easy for them to get their lifts and machines where they need them? Have they proposed traffic management or road closure? That's expensive.

Straight red line is the existing HV.  That does not need to be changed, but they want 7k just to isolate the supply.  I want the pole circled blue, moved 2m to the boundary so that it follows the path of the squiggly red line.  
 

I still feel they are trying to sting us.  The pole is old, and doesn’t currently have any guide lines attached, and given the distance to be moved is small, I honestly think it doesn’t require a new cable.

 

[Alan Ambrose]

I think someone else on here found a 3rd party negotiator working on commission. Is that a route?