OpenReach – Community Fibre Partnership

Openreach offer Community Fibre Partnerships which are designed to build customised full fibre broadband solutions for communities in rural locations.

Under the scheme, Openreach puts a joint funding arrangement in place, meaning that they will contribute some of the costs.   The community funds the rest, helped by the government Broadband Voucher scheme and any grants that the parish council may be eligible to apply for, such as the Parish Partnership Scheme.

Unfortunately, it appears that this scheme only works where there is a concentration of interest.   This means that parish residents living in The Grove, Knapton Green and the extremities of Hall Lane, Pond Lane and The Street would not be able to benefit without substantial additional investment.

Since the Parish Council is looking for a parish-wide solution so that every resident of the parish has a choice, it feels that this is not the best solution.

Link to Gov't Gigabit Voucher scheme website

Vouchers worth up to £1,500 for homes and £3,500 for businesses
help to cover the costs of installing Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband to your doorstep

Click to go to the Gov’t website and find out how the scheme works