The Sunday Times - UK (2021-12-19)

14 December 19, 2021The Sunday Times

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It sounds as if your neighbour

wants to install the latter.

The Electricity Act (1989)

gives electricity undertakers

certain powers, but the

starting point is to see if they

can agree the installation

with your consent. If you are

happy with the route of the

supply but want safeguards

built in, they may be agreed

as part of the formal electricity

wayleave or easement (these

are temporary or annual

agreements in which the

utility company pays the

property owner to access

their land).

It is likely that your

neighbour will have to pay for

the installation and may be

choosing the shortest route

rather than a more expensive

line avoiding your garden.

If you do not reach

agreement, the electricity

company can apply to the

secretary of state for the grant

of a wayleave if it is deemed

necessary or expedient. The

secretary of state will consider

the effects of the line on the

use and enjoyment of your

land, as well as any feasible

alternatives. Establishing why

your neighbour wishes to

install a high-power EV

charger and whether there

are alternative routes may be

important for assessing

whether a wayleave

application will be successful.

Henry Stuart, a partner in the

residential property team,

and trainee Ella Taylor-Fagan,

Withersworldwide

Send questions to

homehelp@sunday-

times.co.uk. Advice given

without responsibility

MY NEIGHBOUR

WANTS TO DIG

UP MY LAWN

TO INSTALL A

CHARGER

Q

My neighbour

wants to install

an electric

vehicle (EV) charger, but the

electricity company has to

dig up my garden to do so.

The EV charger requires a

different kind of electricity

supply to that of our houses,

and the route that the

company favours goes from

the substation through my

hedge and under my lawn.

I want to be helpful and

don’t want to get into a

dispute with my neighbour,

but I feel this is setting me

up for grief. What are my

rights? What if my hedge

is damaged, and how can I

be certain that they will

make good the damage or

compensate me?

What if the electricity

supply under my lawn

needs repair? And is there

any chance that I would be

liable for damage to it? Do I

need to have a survey done

to see what else is under

there and get my solicitor

involved? What if I don’t

want to pay for those things?

Kat, Suffolk

A

The ability to charge

electric cars will soon

become a requirement for

new homes, and many

existing homeowners are

keen to install their own

equipment.

A domestic single-phase

supply can charge up to 7kW.

For more than this you need

a three-phase supply, which

can charge up to 22kW.

HOME

HELP

READERS’ CLINIC

HOW CAN I BEST SHARPEN MY PRECIOUS

KITCHEN KNIVES?

I am on my third knife

sharpener and it’s

rubbish.

Les, Edinburgh

I keep my

late father’s

carborundum

stone beside

the knife

block.

Angela

George,

Swansea

We use a ProCook

sharpener, and before

every use, a steel. Carbon

steel knives hold a better

edge than stainless steel.

Brian Arnopp, Welwyn

I use a set of steel wheels

for my mild steel knives.

For my stainless knives I

use a Japanese water

sharpener with two wheels,

one coarse and one fine.

Happy slicing!

Stephen Knight

It may be the type of steel in

the knife. I use a double-

sided rectangular

whetstone in a

block.

Simon, Wales

The Lansky

has four

sharpening

stones going

up in degrees

of fineness. I use

the diamond

stones. Not cheap, but

it works.

Maureen Farlow

FUTURE QUESTIONS

lHow best can I clean

shower doors to achieve

a clear finish?

lHow can I get rid of a

burnt pan smell without

using air freshener?

Send tips and questions to

homehelp@sunday-

times.co.uk. Advice given

without responsibility

TIME AND SPACE THE WAY WE LIVE NOW

REGGIE YATES

The TV presenter on his library, living

alone and being a ‘coaster monster’

NINOSLAV VRANA; JONATHAN KNOWLES/GETTY IMAGES; INSTAGRAM: @REGYATES

I’ve collected over the years that have

not only helped me as a storyteller but

inspired me as well.

Do you have a treasured

possession?

I believe that a house is about the

people who occupy it rather than the

things in it. The last three houses I’ve

sold, the people who have bought

them have bought all my furniture as

well. It has always been quite bespoke

and gone with the house.

Do you like hosting?

I’m lucky to have a few friends who

are chefs, who come round and cook

lovely dinners. I host sports as much

as I do dinners. I’ve put a cinema in

the house that seats about 20 people.

Whenever there’s boxing or football

I get everyone around for that.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?

I always seem to have Haribo in the

fridge at the moment.

What was your childhood like?

I grew up on a council estate called

Mersey in Holloway [north London].

Inside the house there was a lot of

laughter and fun. In the times that it

was great it was amazing. It wasn’t

brilliant all the time. We lived for VHS.

On the weekends my sister and I

would make massive stacks of toast

and we’d watch Ghostbusters, Beverly

Hills Cop and all these movies we

were far too young for. I think they’re

a huge reason why I’ve ended up

doing what I’m doing.

Why the move into directing?

I started out as a child actor. For the

longest time I’ve bounced between

different elements of entertainment

— moving into drama was an

inevitability. Pirates [Yates’s first

feature-length film, released last

month] is the sort of work that I think

is missing, that honours London in a

joyful way.

Why did you partner with

British Gas?

This opportunity found me at a time

when I’m really focused on telling

stories. My company [Five7] made

two short films for British Gas — one

about a sustainability project by a

really cool family of sisters in

Liverpool. By creating a sustainable

shutter system they found a way to

save energy. The other was about the

incredible apprentices that we met in

Leicester. Empowering young people

has always been something that has

been incredibly important to me.

Interview by Victoria Brzezinski

Reggie Yates has teamed up with British

Gas and the British Gas Energy Trust;

britishgas.co.uk/energy

H

ome is London. I feel

incredibly lucky to have

been raised in a city so

culturally diverse, so

unique. London, in my

opinion, is the best city in the world.

What does home mean to you?

I’m definitely a homebody. Home is

a sanctuary. For the longest time I

worked abroad, and when you travel

a lot with work you start to really

value coming home. I love my house,

it has everything I need.

Do you share your home with any

pets or people?

It’s all me, fortunately or

unfortunately.

What is your design aesthetic?

I’ve been buying and selling homes

since I was 18 so I’ve had every kind of

property you can think of. I’ve had the

cheesy minimalist, black-and-white

lad pad, the upcycled house, the

rustic house, all the different styles.

Now mine is just an amalgamation of

the things I love. And it’s important

how your house smells. I’m a big

Diptyque guy.

Do you need order in your home?

I’m a tidy person. I’m a bit of a coaster

monster — I’m always making sure

that people put their cups on coasters.

Which room makes you happiest?

Either the steam room or my library.

I have a library in my home for the

first time, and it’s lovely to have

somewhere to store all of the books

Above: Agent Z and the Penguin

From Mars, a sitcom that Yates

starred in as a child. Below: the

presenter, actor and director

lives and was raised in London

*