Planning relaxed to speed-up superfast broadband delivery
Planning relaxed to speed-up superfast broadband delivery
The Government is making it easier for infrastructure to be installed to speed up the roll-out of superfast broadband across the UK.
New guidance has been published for code operators, communications providers and local councils putting in communications equipment such as street cabinets and overhead lines. Drawn up by planning and communications experts for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the guidelines aim to sidestep lengthy planning consultations by allowing the infrastructure to be erected without waiting for the nod from councils, unless it is in a site of Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSI).
The DCMS acted as it gears up to meet its 2015 target of transforming UK’s broadband network. It has promised “dramatically higher speeds” and said the major programme of fibre roll-out essential for superfast broadband is now largely complete. According to Government figures, 50,000 new superfast broadband connections are taken up by homes and businesses each week and two-thirds of UK households are on target for superfast broadband access by the end of next year.
The guidelines are designed to both speed up the process and reduce the cost of building the infrastructure. Civic works to put communications equipment in place are responsible for around 80 per cent of the cost of rolling out the service. The DCMS believes the best way to tackle the obstacles is by introducing the temporary removal of current regulations that have delayed infrastructure providers by forcing them to wait for planning approval first.
A code of practice aims to prevent a free for all, so all providers that take advantage of the new guidelines must bear the visual and physical impact on local areas in mind when building the infrastructure. The details of the plan were agreed in conjunction with communications industry stakeholders and planning and highways authorities.
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