Phase 4b

Increasing our full fibre reach in Essex

Our Phase 4b rollout with network operator Openreach, is set to bring ultrafast fibre broadband to 1,001 businesses across Essex and will benefit a further 2,667 residential properties.

This work has been made possible by a £5 million grant awarded from The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)'s European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). A significant additional investment of £2.5 million from The South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) and the Getting Building Fund has also been injected into the contract, to help reach further rural businesses and homes in the hardest-to-reach areas.

Phase 4b is underway and is due to complete by July 2023. More information about the Getting Building Fund can be found below.

Getting Building Fund

On 4 August 2020, the government confirmed the list of over 300 successful projects which will receive a share of £900 million from the Getting Building Fund. The full list of projects is available on GOV.UK. The Getting Building Fund is investing in shovel-ready infrastructure projects to create jobs and support economic recovery across the country.

Projects funded include:

• regeneration of town and city centres
• green infrastructure and clean energy
• transport and digital connectivity improvements
• unlocking of housing and business sites
• support for SMEs and learners

The successful projects (over 300) are expected to deliver up to 85,000 jobs, over 1,500,000 sqm of commercial floor space, unlocking 45,000 homes, almost 1,000,000 sqm of public realm or green space improved or created, over 50,000 new learners assisted, and 65 million kgs of CO2 emissions saved. All projects have been selected by Local Enterprise Partnerships and Mayoral Combined Authorities in each area and endorsed by the Housing Secretary.

Unfortunately, we have now identified a number of premises with no expected rollout date. These premises shall have their status updated on our interactive map when we become aware of further information.