First communities to benefit from Connecting Cheshire’s multi-million pound fibre broadband roll-out are announced
More than 15,000 premises are set to benefit from the first phase of investment in brand new fibre broadband networks across Cheshire, it was announced today.
From the end of March 2014 onwards high-speed broadband will become available in over 30 mainly outlying and rural communities across Cheshire including Alderley Edge, Hale Bank, Kelsall, Peover, Tarporley, Weaverham and Westwood near Warrington.
During the first phase, faster fibre broadband will be available for the first time in the following communities, where the majority of homes and businesses will be able to connect to the new network:
Cheshire East Council
Acton
Alderley Edge
Allostock
Aston
Brereton Green
Cranage
East of Crewe*
Holmes Chapel*
Hough
Nantwich*
Peover
Plumley
Twemlow Green
Warmingham
Wrenbury
Wybunbury
Cheshire West & Chester Council
Acton Bridge
Barton
Central Chester*
Christleton
Clutton
Davenham
Great Mollington
Guilden Sutton
Kelsall
Lach Dennis
Norley
Tarporley
Tarvin
Tattenhall
Weaverham
Wincham
Halton Borough Council
Central Runcorn*
Halebank
Weston
Warrington Borough Council
Central Warrington*
Dallam
Great Sankey*
Penketh*
Westwood
Winwick
* These areas will also see additional fibre roll-out building on the commercial coverage in phase one.
Details of the planned rollout were announced at a briefing held at Oulton Park attended by community representatives, councilors, business leaders and Digital Champions from around Cheshire.
The £28.5m Connecting Cheshire broadband programme will be delivered by Openreach - BT’s local network business to bring fibre broadband to over 80,000 additional premises. This will build on the existing fibre networks already provided by BT’s commercial investment, that will enable 96 per cent of Cheshire premises to access high speed broadband over the lifetime of the programme.
Additional information is now also available showing the proposed timescales for areas in the second and third phase of the programme, which are expected to see fibre availability from summer 2014 onwards for phase two, and from winter 2014 onwards for phase three. Local residents and businesses can check their coverage to find out more.
Bringing fibre to Cheshire is a massive engineering challenge for BT, with a team of over 100 planners and engineers working to upgrade exchanges and networks including laying more than 875 miles of fibre-optic cable – more than the distance between Lands End and John O’ Groats – by spring 2015. Over 400 new roadside cabinets will also be installed as a new root and branch fibre-optic network is rolled-out.
Councillor David Brown, Deputy Leader of Cheshire East Council, on behalf of the Connecting Cheshire Partnership said: “I am delighted to announce which communities will soon be able to benefit from fibre broadband, I urge everyone to check our maps to see where and when we will be making fibre available.
“We have been working hard for over 3 years to get us to where we are today, this is an exciting time for Cheshire and the beginning of a journey that will see our communications landscape completely transformed.” Bill Murphy, managing director of next generation access for BT Group, said: “This is a very exciting step forward for these communities because faster broadband can benefit everyone.
“Whether you’re a small business wanting to stay in touch with customers and suppliers, or parents with children using the internet for homework and playing games, whatever you do online, you can do it much better and faster with fibre broadband.
“Fibre will have a significant impact on the local economy. We know, for example, that small businesses form a key part of the local economy in rural areas. Faster broadband breaks down the barriers to doing business in the digital world like online trading, which helps to empower those small businesses to find new markets, sell new products, try new models and compete on an equal footing with larger businesses.”
Sir Howard Bernstein, vice chair of the North West European Regional Development Fund local management committee, said: “This programme will help local businesses make the most of superfast broadband, improving performance and helping to create and safeguard jobs.
“It will provide a major boost to the Cheshire economy and the North West European Regional Development Fund programme is pleased to be supporting it financially.”
Additional super-fast broadband has arrived in Holmes Chapel, Connecting Cheshire announced today. Around 300 of homes and businesses will now have access to the high-speed technology as the first cabinet to be funded by the project was ‘switched on’, in Holmes Chapel, by community, BT and Connecting Cheshire representatives.
The £20m Fund is delivered as part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE). The RCBF is jointly funded by Defra and Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) and provides grants to communities to establish superfast broadband in hard-to-reach areas.
Connecting Cheshire has revealed a fibre broadband rollout map just seven months after the signing of a £28.5m deal between BT and four Cheshire councils to bring fibre broadband to 96 per cent of Cheshire.
High-speed fibre broadband will be rolled out to around 96 per cent of Cheshire homes and businesses in the next three years under a £28.5 million project between four Cheshire councils and BT.
More than 900 small and medium-sized businesses across Cheshire and Warrington are set to benefit from a £1.5m investment to help them gain from digital technology enabled by faster broadband.
An extra £643,000 has been awarded to Connecting Cheshire by the Government to reach around 1,000 additional rural premises with superfast fibre broadband.