On Fri, 19 Sep 2003 23:52:25 +0000 (UTC), Nat wrote:

snip

But the next
door house "don't want to be undergrounded" so they will still have an OH
supply running from the UG mains in the road. (?).
For some reason the supply co. want to run this from a new pole in relatives
garden, rather than putting the pole in the neighbours garden.

I suspect the neighbours have become awkward towards the leccy company
and they're looking for an easy way out.

So even tho
relative will have no need of a pole, being UG from road to house, he would
have a pole at the boundary of his property to serve next door (and
presumably will share the part of the UG mains from road to pole). The
distances involved are not large, the whole front gardens are only about
75ft square. I would like to know why the neighbour can't have the pole in
his own garden, also what should relative be looking out for when all this
is arranged?

No reason at all. Your relative doesn't have to have the pole in his
garden. Full stop.

Is there a downside to sharing part of the "spur" from the UG
road supply? Why would anyone NOT want to be UG anyway? Am I missing
something here? ( I have spent a considerable amount of time trying to
persuade the supply people to UG my wires, to no avail. And here is
someone - the neighbour - actively refusing it) Is this a cost issue, ie
would having the pole in the neighbours garden possibly be more expensive
for the company to do, or is there some other issue here.? Has anyone any
experience to share before I try to advise relative? Thanks.

The wayleave payments are more or less fixed and aren't negotiable. If
you want to start negotiating, then you have to look at granting them a
permanent easement, which they would have to 'buy', so you do then have
some scope to negotiate. But, the downside to that is that once your
relative grants a permanent easement, the leccy company have a legal
right to be there. That isn't the same with a wayleave, where said
relative could give notice to the company who would have to move the
pole after a predetermined time, usually 12 months.

In that position, I'd tell the company, sorry, not interested. Remember,
though that they might just finish up sticking the pole in the back edge
of the foorpath outside your relative's house anyway. I suspect the
bottom line is that it's doing things in the easiest and cheapest way
for the leccy company. If you start making things really difficult,
*you* won't see the cost implications, but if everyone did, then slowly
but surely costs would rise.

You pays your money and takes your choice.....