BT Moves UK Superfast Broadband Cabinet to Satisfy Midhurst Resident

A resident of Midhurst in West Sussex (England) has won a battle to have the location of BT’s new superfast broadband (FTTC) cabinet moved from Chichester Road after complaining that it was directly outside their window and obstructed pavement access for wheelchair users.

BT’s new FTTC cabinets are notorious for being big, green and somewhat ugly, which has caused no end of annoyance to communities and individuals in various locations around the country. For example, last month saw 60 residents in the Derbyshire UK town of Ripley complain that an identical cabinet was at risk of causing a fatal car crash (here).

According to the Midhurst Observer, Midhurst Town Council supported the residents complaint by posting a formal objection to BTOpenreach’s chosen location. Thankfully BT was able to find a new home for it.

BTOpenreachs Spokesperson said:

“We have been looking into this and although the previous location was deemed acceptable, as a goodwill gesture we carried out further investigations into seeing whether the cabinet could be placed adjacent to the existing cabinet already at the site.

We will be submitting plans to the council planning department this week. This alternative position is reliant on the planning permission and the availability of a power supply.”

As we always say, the benefits of having access to superfast broadband and indeed being close to the cabinet itself (i.e. you get the best speeds) generally tend to out-way the more cosmetic and or practical obstructions that are sometimes created.