Annex D – Digital Switchover

The Digital Switchover in Milton Keynes

When is it happening? Switchover will start in the Milton Keynes area on 30 March 2011. This the first date for viewers receiving TV signals from the Sandy Heath transmitter group. Viewers getting their signals from the Oxford transmitter group will switch from 14 September 2011. You can enter your postcode on Digital UK’s website Digital UK or phone 0845 50 50 50 to find out when you are likely to switch. These dates affect anyone watching TV via an aerial in the Milton Keynes area.

Will it affect me? Many homes receive five channels of TV from Virgin Media via the cable system that covers much of Milton Keynes. Virgin Media have said ‘our ATV service in Milton Keynes will be unaffected by the national Digital Switchover programme. We will continue to provide the existing channels over the analogue platform as we have been doing so historically…’ So, households should still get those five TV channels after switchover.

However, many households want to receive more channels and other TV services, and want to know what their options are. The main digital TV service providers in Milton Keynes are:

• Freeview through an aerial • Freesat, Freesat from Sky, or Sky subscription services through a satellite dish • BT Vision through a phone line • Internet Service Provider-delivered TV

What if I need to install an aerial or satellite dish? When homes were first built in Milton Keynes in the 1970s and 80s, no aerials were allowed as TV was provided through an advanced cable system. To stop residents putting up aerials and blighting estates, Milton Keynes Development Corporation (succeeded firstly by Commission for the New Towns and now by the Homes and Communities Agency) put restrictive covenants on some of the properties it built, whereby aerials could not be erected without their consent.

As a result of this, you may find that your Deeds prevent you erecting an aerial or satellite dish without the consent of the Homes and Communities Agency (as successor to the Milton Keynes Development Corporation and the Commission for the New Towns). The Homes and Communities Agency has confirmed that it will not seek to enforce this covenant. However, some properties have a restrictive covenant for more information on restrictive covenant that is enforceable by the neighbours, in which case you will need to obtain the consent of your neighbours before undertaking any work. If you believe this is the situation, or if the position is unclear and you don’t know how to proceed, you are advised to seek legal advice.

You will not normally require planning permission to site an aerial on your house and you may not need planning permission to site microwave antennae on your house. Contact the Council’s Planning Enquiries Section on 01908 252358 or Planning.Enquiries@milton- keynes.gov.uk for clarification. If you live in a flat or a Listed Building you are likely to need planning permission for a microwave antenna.

If you live in a flat or building that has a shared or communal aerial, your lease or tenancy agreement may not allow you to put up an aerial or satellite dish, check with the property owner or manager. They may consider putting in an integrated reception system that only needs one aerial and one satellite dish to give everyone in the block access to both free to air and satellite services. There is more information about these systems at Digital UK Property Managers

Annex D – Digital Switchover

Am I eligible for help through the Help Scheme? Some residents in Milton Keynes are eligible for help to convert one TV to digital from the Help Scheme.

You are eligible if you:

• Are aged 75 or over, or • Have lived in a care home for six months or more, or • Get (or could get) • Disability living allowance, or • Attendance or constant attendance allowance • Mobility supplement, or • Are registered blind or partially sighted.

You should have received a letter inviting you to apply, if you are eligible. If you think you are eligible and haven’t heard from the Help Scheme, or you want more information, please visit Help Scheme or call 0800 40 85 900.

Where can I find out more about the switchover? There is much more information about the switchover available from Digital UK. Please visit Digital UK or call them on 08456 50 50 50