Supporting Salisbury and Amesbury communities

Openreach connects homes, schools, shops, banks, hospitals, libraries, governments and businesses – large and small – to the world.

It works on behalf of more than 600 communications providers such as Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone, and BT, and its fibre broadband network is the biggest in the UK, passing more than 27 million homes and businesses. 

Over the last decade, Openreach has invested more than £11 billion into its network and it now manages more than 160 million kilometres of cable, and it's continuing to take that network further - making superfast broadband speeds available to thousands more homes and businesses every week. 

Over the next 12 months, Openreach engineers will be busy building a new faster, more reliable and future proof broadband network throughout the city. This new network delivers fibre optic cables all the way from the local exchange right to people’s front doors, also known as Fibre-to-the-Premises technology (FTTP) or Full Fibre.

The Government has set a target to deliver a reliable, future-proof, full fibre broadband network to everyone in the UK by 2033, in place of our old copper network that lasted over 100 years. 

Openreach is investing billions of pounds to be the national FTTP provider and is well on-track to making full fibre broadband available to three million homes and businesses by the end of 2020 – and ten million by the mid-2020s, if we have the right conditions to invest. 

It has chosen Salisbury as one of the first places to benefit, and we’re excited to be cracking on with the project. 

It will make a huge difference for both residents and businesses in Salisbury for decades to come. 

Full fibre infrastructure, which runs from the exchange all the way to people’s front door, is an incredibly exciting opportunity. As well as adding even more reliability and resilience to broadband connections and making them less likely to drop out, FTTP can deliver speeds of up to 1 Gigabit – that’s 24x faster than average speeds today.

For families in Salisbury, an FTTP connection means streaming any HD entertainment you like, or downloading content in the blink of an eye – on multiple devices at once, without buffering or interruptions. In fact, downloading a typical HD film would take less time than it takes to make a cup of tea. And things like home working will become a breeze.

And for local shops, hospitals and schools, it means greater productivity, efficiency, reliability and flexibility – whether that’s to help students benefit from the latest in online learning, or to enable patients in care to video call their loved ones.

For businesses and sole traders in Salisbury, an FTTP connection will help them compete in markets all over the UK and around the world. It makes uploading, downloading and transferring large files much easier and enables vital new digital services like uninterrupted monitoring, video conferencing and streaming, as well as enabling things like greater flexible working for staff.

Full fibre connectivity will also pave the way for new 'smart’ technologies like artificial intelligence and Internet of Things – powering amazing new services like sensors that monitor the health of our elderly or keep roads jam free, apps that show drivers where the nearest available parking spot is, or buildings that regulate their own heating and lighting. All innovations that can improve city management, reduce costs, boost productivity and improve quality of life. Smart Cities rely on everything being connected to each other and full fibre broadband provides the capacity, resilience and reliability needed to support these new services.

Fibre optic cables are also much more resilient than copper, meaning fewer faults and simpler, quicker repairs.

For the next 12 months, Openreach engineers will be working hard to deliver full fibre to the Salisbury. The company will be using the latest technology, like tiny underground cameras that inspect ducts for blockages, to avoid digging up the streets. Where it really needs to, the company will be working in underground ducts to lay new fibre optic cabling. But wherever possible, it will make use of the vast existing network of underground ducts and poles wherever possible to avoid roadworks, and work overhead (up telephone poles), to avoid disturbance.

Not only that, but Openreach will lay down even more fibre than it needs to, so that as Salisbury’s demand for data continues to grow in the decades to come, there’ll be more than enough capacity for the technologies of tomorrow.

Of course this is a major infrastructure upgrade, so there will be more engineering teams working around the city, but thanks to some really close collaboration with Wiltshire Council, Openreach believes it can keep disruption to an absolute minimum. It will keep you posted with any major developments and milestones along the way.

If you have any questions or comments about the build, please contact Openreach.

At present, Openreach is working on the Salisbury area. To find out when you can get fibre in your area, enter your details at Wiltshire Online, and they'll let you know when fibre is available for you.

Openreach is responsible for building and maintaining the UK’s digital infrastructure. It expects the first customers in Salisbury to be able to order an FTTP service by the end of 2019 - but it will depend partly on what the engineers encounter on the ground.

However, you won’t be automatically upgraded - you’ll need to get in touch with your broadband provider to see if they offer a service over the new network..

Once available, the next step is to choose the company you’d like to supply your internet. Then you should contact them to order your chosen broadband package. Use Ofcom’s Boost Your Broadband Tool to find the best deal for you. 

Given the new network is faster, more reliable and will last for decades, it is likely that new packages might cost a bit more. However broadband is a highly competitive market, and the advantage of having Openreach build the network is that they are an open wholesale provider which give all retail ISPs the opportunity to compete – meaning increased choice for consumers and businesses.

Use Ofcom’s Boost Your Broadband Tool to find the best deal for you. 

Research by industry regulator Ofcom has shown that millions of customers could be over-paying for their broadband, and could be able to access faster speeds for the same price.  

So in December 2018, Ofcom launched its ‘Boost Your Broadband’ campaign, aimed at helping people get cheaper, faster broadband from their service providers. Using the online tool, you can check your broadband options and select the best package for you.

Full Fibre is more then just about faster speeds, it's a much more reliable and resilient, so is far less likely to suffer from faults or service drop outs. More importantly, it is future-proofed which means it has plenty of extra capacity to support our ever-growing demand for data hungry services and applications. Full fibre will increasingly be the go-to product to fully meet our future broadband needs. 

If you’re at home or work and have a problem with your telephone line, broadband connection or want to change an engineer appointment you will need to contact your communication provider (whoever bills you for that service). They will raise the issue with us on your behalf.

Openreach is managing the build, so if you have any questions about the build project, or have problems with the build, please contact Openreach.

If you need help for other reasons, please contact Openreach.

Read more about this exciting project and watch a video.

The relocation of the library is part of the first phase of The Maltings regeneration plan, and will ensure the continuity of service for the local community and visitors to the city while The Maltings scheme is progressing. The current commercial application provides an interim site for the library and gives the option for the current gym and restaurant to also move enabling the full redevelopment of Market Walk and utilising £6.1m of government funding which has to be spent by March 2021. Providing a modern library service from the current site is difficult and costly as much of the building’s infrastructure is outdated.

Wiltshire Council’s adopted Core Strategy promotes the sensitive regeneration of a mixed-use retail led development on The Maltings and Central Car Park. The site offers an excellent opportunity to contribute towards the continued vitality and vibrancy of the whole of Salisbury city centre and should incorporate residential, office and leisure uses. Comprehensive redevelopment of the area should incorporate other regeneration projects including:

• Improved connectivity through Market Walk to draw visitors to the market place and beyond.
• Improved pedestrian flow between Fisherton Street, the Playhouse and City Hall to the proposed new development through to a scheme such as the creation of ‘Fisherton Square’.
• The ability to nurture and support existing retailers by complementing and boosting existing patterns of trade.

A masterplan for the whole of The Maltings and Central Car Park is being produced by Wiltshire Council and is open to public consultation from 15 April to 25 May, prior to a decision being taken on the current application, so that all parties can study and understand the wider context.

Subject to planning permission, the library will move to a temporary location at 30-36 Fisherton Street.  Eventually it will move to a new, purpose-built location in a new Creative Quarter around the City Hall and Salisbury Playhouse. Wiltshire Creative, supported by Wiltshire Council, is undertaking a cultural survey, which will identify what will be incorporated into the Creative Quarter, and in turn will form the basis of a masterplan for the area in consultation with the community. The successful implementation of 30-36 Fisherton Street will enable the delivery of Wiltshire Council’s long-term Core Policy 21, creating improved connectivity between the Creative Quarter and the commercial heart of the city centre.

The proposed new interim library at 30-36 Fisherton Street will be the same size as the ground floor of the current library. While this is smaller than the current site the facility will utilise new technologies that allow for greater community access and improved use of space. After listening carefully to the community and stakeholders, positive negotiations have progressed with the developers to not only increase the size of the area for library use, but to identify what is required to ensure this interim move provides for continuation of existing library provision while enhancing the service within a modern facility.

No, all library services that you currently enjoy will remain the same, just in a different city centre location.

The Young Gallery is an asset to the city and the council will consult in public on options for its relocation as part of consultation on the masterplan, and as proposals for the Cultural Quarter are developed.

You can view the plans for the first phase of the Maltings development here. Amended plans are being produced to respond positively to the consultation process and will be submitted in due course.

The current planning application will be considered at the strategic planning committee, when amended plans are received which address the issues raised during the consultation process.

Also in the planning application is a new 86-bedroom Travelodge Plus hotel, a gym and restaurant. The latter two elements may well change in order to accommodate a larger library space.