Thousands of Clovelly cobbles carefully removed and returned to bring in superfast broadband

A broadband provider is hoping to scoop a national award after painstakingly lifting and replacing 12,000 of the historic Clovelly cobblestones to bring superfast connectivity to the village.

Airband removed and carefully returned the thousands of stones while installing cabling to connect around 300 ‘digitally excluded’ residents – a gargantuan labour that involved more than 700 hours and 500 trips up and down the steep Clovelly main street.

This Thursday (November 9), Airband is bidding for the Best Community Project accolade at the industry-leading INCA Awards 2023.

Running down a mile-long hill, with a picturesque cobbled street and numerous Grade II listed homes, the privately owned village of Clovelly has been described by Airband as its greatest challenge and a remarkable feat of engineering.

The company worked in close partnership with Connecting Devon and Somerset to undertake the unique project.

The success of the installation, and with 74 per cent take up by residents and businesses within three months, now sees the project in the running for the INCA award.

“At Airband we take pride in bringing broadband like never before to coastal and country communities. Clovelly is a truly one-of-a-kind village and presented perhaps the most challenging broadband installation we’ve ever undertaken,” said Redmond Peel, Airband CEO.

“To be nominated as the Best Community Project in the country is a real honour and testament to all those who made this seemingly impossible project a reality.”

Originally owned by William the Conqueror, Clovelly Estate is committed to maintaining the area's unspoilt environment whilst adapting to the changing demands of its tenants.

Owner John Rous said: “An increasing number of professionals use Clovelly as a base for remote working, and we understand that connectivity is key to the way we now live.

“Through offering Airband’s high speed broadband and concealing the fibre optics under the famous cobbled street, we are able to remove unsightly telegraph poles in the future, extend the work opportunities in the village, and future proof our properties.”

The INCA Awards Dinner takes place 9th November 2023 as part of INCA’s 2023 conference in Nottingham.