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Call for action on unadopted roads
Kettering's MP has called for a change in the law so that residents of new housing estates are not left with unadopted roads.
Philip Hollobone held a Parliamentary debate on the difficulties that local authorities face in adopting new roads and making sure they are up to a good standard.
He told the House of Commons that councils struggle to get developers to get roads up to the appropriate standard before the highways are taken into public ownership.
Many residents are frustrated that they are left with unadopted roads long after the building work has finished. They include people living in Oakley Vale in Corby, Mawsley and The Grange, in Desborough.
Mr Hollobone raised concerns that buyers of 5,500 homes due to be built to the east of Kettering could face the same problem.
He told Parliament: "This is a very big issue for my constituency, but in researching the subject on behalf of my constituents, I have discovered that it is a big issue across the country.
"Kettering's housing numbers are due to increase from 36,000 at present to 49,100 by 2021 – an increase of one third – so many thousands of my constituents are or will be living on new residential estates, and will therefore be affected by what I think is a loophole in the legislation.
"That loophole means, in effect, that there will be hundreds of thousands of residents across the country living on new housing estates whose houses will be located on roads that will have substandard pavements, highways and lighting for many years to come."
Mr Hollobone said there needs to be changes to the law which currently means that there is no legal requirement for developers to enter into an agreement to have the roads adopted.
He said: "This adds to local people's anxiety about the proper infrastructure not being in place when those new housing developments are constructed."
Northamptonshire County Council has no power to require developers to hand over land for adoption and it will adopt land only if the developer has brought it up to the right standard.
Mr Hollobone also raised concerns that those living on unadopted road can be held liable for the cost of bringing the roads, pavements and street lighting up to an adoptable standard.
He said changes need to be made to the estate agents' code and the solicitors' code, saying: "People should be advised of those obligations by their solicitor when they undertake their house purchase, but I am not convinced that that always happens."
Nationally, there are thought to be approximately 40,000 unadopted roads in England and Wales. It was estimated in 2006 that it would cost 3b to make these roads up to an adoptable standard.
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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