Originally Posted by towny

without being in any way on the 'inside', I can think of a couple of possible reasons why London might be a tougher nut to crack than southampton. The cable may in an even more parlous state, and then it's possible the planning departments of the relevant London boroughs are being less co-operative than the city council in Southampton. Assuming traffic density is higher in London, there may be a longer lead time between applying to do work and it being allowed to start.