Efforts Underway to Minimise Gomshall Broadband Disruption

Published on: 19 May, 2023
Updated on: 22 May, 2023

Work is getting underway in Gomshall to connect the historical village to a full fibre broadband network.

Engineers say they are liaising closely with residents, local councils and the highways authority in a bid to minimise disruption.

Work began this week to bring full fibre broadband connection to more than 2,400 homes in Gomshall and nearby Westcott with the first residents due to have access to ultrafast speeds in the summer.

The work, which is due to be completed by spring 2024, is part of a £10 million investment in Surrey by the UK’s leading rural, ultrafast broadband provider Gigaclear.

Cllr Danielle Newson

Cllr Danielle Newson, (Lib Dem, Tillingbourne) said: “Fibre broadband in rural areas is desperately needed. In this day and age it is not an optional extra and its absence is incredibly damaging for many rural businesses and homeworkers.

“However, local residents are understandably concerned at the disruption that the digging up of the roads will cause, and particularly the uncertainty over how long the disruption will last. Another concern is whether roads and pavements will be properly repaired once the works are completed.

“I am encouraging Gigaclear to be as communicative as possible with the local communities, and I advise residents to report any issues around inconsiderate construction, or poor repairs at the end of the works, to Surrey County Council.”

The Compasses Inn, Gomshall Image Google Streetview

Central delivery director for Gigaclear Ben Woods said: “The continued expansion of our network in Surrey demonstrates Gigaclear’s commitment to delivering fast and reliable broadband to rural communities in the county that would otherwise struggle to access ultrafast speeds.

“Gomshall is situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which presents us with several engineering challenges. Navigating through its narrow lanes will inevitably mean that there will be some traffic disruption however we are liaising closely with residents’ groups, local councils and the highways authority to minimise any disruption.

“Unlike many other broadband providers who compete to offer their services in dense, urban areas, we’re focussing on harder-to-reach communities that are far less likely to have a choice of supplier.”

In January, Gigaclear announced it was planning to extend its network in Surrey to more than 7,000 homes and businesses. The work in Gomshall follows an initial build in Chilworth. A further 2,590 homes and businesses in Wonersh are set to be connected to full fibre broadband in spring 2024 as it looks to begin work in the summer to further extend its network in the area.

During the engineering work, Gigaclear will be utilising existing Openreach ducts and poles wherever possible in order to minimise disruption.