Street not part of broadband boost
Residents livid as road not included in hi-tech rollout
Residents of a Cornton street say around 20 homes could miss out on high speed fibre broadband despite almost 200 neighbours being linked up to the scheme.
Residents of Fisherman’s Walk at Westhaugh believe they are the only street in their scheme which won’t benefit from the CityFibre rollout because it has not yet been adopted by Stirling Council.
Local James Mulholland said an ongoing process between the original housing developers and Scottish Water appeared to still be ongoing and until it was concluded the street could not be adopted. Residents are concerned that by the time the adoption process is complete it will be too late for them to reap any benefits.
He added: “We appear to be the only street in the whole estate that hasn’t been done.
“CityFibre were doing the whole estate and seem ed to bypass us, prompting us to ask why. Trying to get contractors back on site once they have left might be almost impossible. We have a street Facebook page and people are livid. They expected the street to be done but we are going to be the odd ones out.
“The whole of the housing development on the site of the former Wallace High School also appears to be in the same position.”
A Stirling Council spokesperson said: “We want every available part of Stirling to benefit from this transformational initiative which will see the city benefit from some of the fastest internet available in the UK.
“While the broadband infrastructure can be legally installed on council adopted roads or pavements, in this case, the land is owned by a private developer and City Fibre require their permission for work to take place.
“We are aware of residents’ concerns over this matter and understand engagement has taken place between City Fibre and the developer to find a solution.”
Elaine Doherty, CityFibre’s city manager for Stirling, said: “We are fully committed to connecting almost every home and business in
Stirling to our future-proof full fibre network.
“However, the street in question has not yet been formally adopted and is still privately owned.
“Our contractor can only build to properties with the consent of the land owner, the property builder. We will retain a small construction team in the city after the main build completes, which will allow us to revisit certain areas if permission is granted or the road is adopted.
“In this street in particular, we have ensured there is enough network capacity to cater for all residents in the future. The enthusiasm for full fibre in Stirling is high and our aim is to bring gigabit-capable speeds to as many homes and businesses across the city as possible.”