While often overlooked, wayleaves are one of the most important considerations to be made – and negotiations to be held – with freeholders/leaseholders, to ensure smooth and timely network expansions.
Managing these complex agreements is difficult, time-consuming, and manually intensive. It takes great tenacity and legal nous to obtain consents. Despite 20-30% properties in a build project requiring wayleaves, many operators also neglect the hidden cost — ranging from £750 to £2,500 in surveyor rates, and between £1,500 and £3,000 per wayleave in traditional law firms’ fees, meaning roll-out costs soon spiral.
That’s where Trenches Law comes in. Having long operated ‘behind-the-scenes’ to secure timely, cost-effective, and mission-critical legal permissions for clients, we’re perfectly placed to advise on the intricacies of this process. For some telcos, this may mean starting from scratch to understand the ‘why’. For others, like community-led altnet Lightning Fibre, or broadband ISP Zzoomm, the focus may be more heavily placed on overcoming specific challenges along the way.
No matter the barriers, our digital training initiative is tailored accordingly. Led by Phillip Stockdale-Woodhead, people business partner for HR and learning, and Alex Lawrence, solicitor apprentice, it empowers altnets with tailored guidance to help increase their wayleave throughput, streamline communication with stakeholders, and leverage the legal powers at their disposal.
With a ‘stickier’ format that simulates real-life barriers, engaging multi-media tools that cater towards different learning styles, and real-time engagement to facilitate collaborative problem solving, the impact of the course is not only relatable and engaging, but long-lasting too. Resonating well beyond the training session itself, the approach fosters a culture of innovation and expertise to help improve connectivity progress across the UK.
And, as the roll-out of EV charging infrastructure gathers pace, transferable knowledge becomes equally critical. Understanding the legal hurdles hindering land access, cable trenching, infrastructure installation, and more, organisations beyond traditional altnets can reap the benefits of our counsel.
With an average 4.8 out of 5-star user rating, we’re incredibly proud of the offering, and this national recognition pays further testament to its impact.
