Drop Curb and BT Openreach cover..

[drewbie1]

Hi firstly 🙂 , not sure this is the right place to post this, but I have had a dropped curb approved by my local council and I was told by one of the contractors to check with BT Openreach before any work is carried out.

Openreach have come back to me and said it is £1200 for a survey, let along doing any work. With the survey at that kind of money I am dreading what any work would actually be. I stupidly got the driveway paved as I was told to get that done before sorting the dropped curb and stupidly had assumed that because the council had approved it was good to go lol.

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the survey and subsequent costs based on the this type of cover and what is under neath? Long shot i know, but it would be good to get any idea if anything is possible or not :). Thank you

[iniltous · Accepted solution]

It’s not the correct place to post , BT isn’t a proxy for Openreach but you are looking at thousands of pounds potentially, plus if the picture is of the actual jointbox ( FYI ,  you  shouldn’t be opening it ) there is also Alternative Network equipment inside , which would also need relocation, so no doubt a bill from them as well as Openreach.

[drewbie1]

Thanks for the reply and what I was coming to the conclusion off.  Well it is closed now 🙂

[Keith_Beddoe]

Much more than you could ever afford, there are a lot of connections there. Cheaper to move house.

[drewbie1]

Yea realising that now lol.

[tonysmini018]

Rather than moving the box the surveyor may just plan to replace the frame and cover with a reinforced version.

It’s not going to be cheap. 

[drewbie1]

Hi the contents also need to be lowered I think rather than just a new frame lid.

[countrypaul]

The relationship between the driveway, OR box and road can't be seen from the photo but would there be any chance of moving your entrance a few feet one way or the other to avoid the box? Might be cheaper than moving the box even if redoing part of the driveway.

[drewbie1]

We can look to have half the drop done, so it isn't a complete loss and I might stick some ramps on the road for where the BT cover is. Still can't believe the survey cost though..crazy amount

[36ULW]

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The Survey Cost is absorbed by the Network Rearrangement Cost if you go ahead with the work.

If I remember right the Survey Cost used to be a lot less and they’d then just add the rest to the Network Rearrangement Cost but as people weren’t going ahead with the works so Openreach were left out of pocket.

That box also includes PIA Network Equipment so they may need involvement as well. Can’t so for sure but I assume that’s something Openreach would do?