UKPN not wanting to use existing overhead pole and can’t go underground

[nikotime]

Hi all

 

We’re a wee bit stuck for getting power to our barn conversion. There is a UKPN pylon directly over the road (rural area, single track road) 2.5m onto another properties land. I have a BT pole directly on my land. UKPN say their current policy is that they can’t go overhead, and the property owner is refusing consent for us to go through the road. 
 

The nearest next pole would require an additional 100m+ of cable dug underground to get to us and cost a fortune. 
 

Does anyone know any mechanisms for UKPN to reconsider going over the road? Or other suggestions?
 

Many thanks 

[Thorfun]

I thought utility companies can force through the install without consent?

 

I could be wrong though. 

[nod]

Unfortunately you will have to go round and in circles with BT 

As we did for twelve months 

 

[Alan Ambrose]

Ah UKPN. They seem to love this stuff. The ‘only’ option is one that’s very expensive? Funny about that. Only yesterday they were telling me forcibly how they ‘don’t make any money in connecting new customers’.

 

Maybe:

 

+ look at the source and letter of the UKPN ‘policies’.

+ start an official complaint - UKPN does have some sensitivity there.

+ get UKPN to cost up all the options but using your own trenching. That’s you have all options at your disposal. Ask who has the authority in UKPN to vary the costs - someone has.

+ start negotiating money with the neighbour - see whether there’s an option there that will be cheaper.

+ check with land registry that the neighbour really does own the road.

+ find put who within UKPN has the authority to override their ‘policy’ - someone does.

 

That is, shake the tree hard and see what drops out.

Lastly, someone on ‘t ‘ub found a negotiator who worked on commission - would love to find the contact myself.

 

 

[nikotime]

Thanks so much for your comments.

 

There appears to be no negotiations at all possible with the neighbour and no way leaves which grants us any rights. The running an overhead line wasn’t going anywhere but we had them out on site with my builder and a field engineer and found a solution by putting up a new pole on a tiny bit of land which is owned by Highways rather than any nearby farmer like all the other poles. 
 

We’ve separately been having much joy getting water to the site so have a contractor who is going to do directional digging along a different stretch of road, so for not much cost our contractor can run an additional duct which UKPN can tap into from the new pole and avoids any neighbouring land. 
 

Cost will be similar in the end to running the cable underground even if we did get permission. Still a huge amount for utilities - probably £35k all in for both - but the mains water is 135m away and new electric pole around 90m, plus they are upgrading the transformer so we can get an 100A supply. 
 

Happy to have a way forward in the end

[Alan Ambrose]

Well congrats on finding a solution that works.