Site operators of the Bilsdale mast have said they are “gunning” for a 2023 completion date for the new permanent structure after missing initial targets of a winter 2022 deadline.
It is now more than a year since the original Bilsdale mast went up in flames, leaving thousands of homes without a television signal across the region, including York and North Yorkshire.
Adrian Twyning, chief of operations at Ariqiva, admitted it had been a 'tough year' as his team worked hard in order to restore services to those affected.
Bosses have now said the new 300-metre mast will hopefully be completed by spring 2023.
In May, Paul Donovan, chief executive at Arqiva, was hopeful the mast would be completed by the end of the year, however, this date has now been revised.
Mr Twyning explained that the new date did take into account delays due to the weather.
He added: “The issue with this site is that the weather hits you in all areas, so heat, windy, rain and snow so that date includes that contingency.”
The infrastructure company says it is working “night and day” to reach the 2023 deadline.
Mr Twyning said: “This is normally a two-year project because it’s so complicated, but we think we’re going to do it in a year.
“So that’s the reason we have given the 2023 target and we are working night and day and weekends to try and achieve that.”
Mr Twyning also stressed the mast could only go live when the broadcasters gave the go ahead.
A recent report carried out by Ofcom found that Arqiva and other organisations need to learn their lesson and review their plans to avoid similar mast failures.
Mr Twyning said the report gave Arqiva a lot of “pause for thought” but added that it also gave them confidence in their response to the fire.
He added: “So response time was highlighted, and we’re doing a lot of work around investing in DR solutions across our network.
“It has been a huge effort, there’s a lot of people on the site here today and it’s been a real team effort.
“We’ve also tried to do the right thing so we’ve given £150,000 to communities such as Age UK and Durham Community Trust.
“We’ve used Severfield as well as steel fabricators because we want to make a lasting legacy.”
He concluded: “I’m really proud of how we have responded and acted and I am really gunning for that spring 2023 deadline.”
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