Research from the Home Builders Federation (HBF) has found that, of the developments of 10 or more homes built in the last three years, just 10% of sites have had their roads adopted by local authorities, leaving 90% to be managed by private companies.
Additionally, 97% of new sewers and 98% of sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) also remain unadopted, years after construction.聽
Without public bodies adopting responsibility for roads and essential infrastructure, home builders are required to enter into private management arrangements. This shifts the financial burden of maintenance onto homeowners, who still pay full council tax and water charges, effectively being double-charged for the same services.
The HBF described it as 鈥渁 fragmented, unfair system for homeowners and builders alike鈥�.
The research revealed significant inconsistencies across local authorities. A third of councils surveyed had no roads adopted at all in new developments built in the last three years, and only one council reported that 100% of new roads were adopted.
Delays in sewer adoption further compound the issue, as local authorities will not adopt roads until sewers are formally adopted. Data obtained from the UK鈥檚 six largest water companies showed that just 3% of sewer adoption applications were completed over the past three years. Similarly, only 2% of SUDS applications were successful.聽聽
While adoption of amenities is the most desirable solution, a number of barriers are blocking this, including the increasing cost of adoption 鈥� for bonds, commuted sums and inspection fees 鈥� inconsistencies in local authority design requirements, and the length of time it takes to go through the adoption process, the HBF said.聽
The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) identified this issue in its recent House-building Market Study, calling for reform. The CMA recommended that government implement a common adoptable standard for public amenities across England, Scotland and Wales. It also called for the introduction of mandatory adoption infrastructure on new housing estates, with limited exceptions.聽
HBF is calling for the government to address the CMA recommendations as well as introduce statutory timelines for adoption agreements, review and reform of financial requirements of highway bonds, local authority capacity and resourcing, and reduce relevant bills for residents of households on new estates with unadopted amenities.
HBF chief executive Neil Jefferson said: 鈥淯nadopted housing estates leave homeowners unfairly burdened with ongoing costs whilst placing a significant strain on house builders.
鈥淗ome buyers are being forced to pay service charges for essential services such as roads, drainage, and sewers, alongside their council tax, which should cover such services to be provided and maintained by public authorities.
鈥淎s the government works to hit its 1.5 million new homes pledge, it must pay attention to bottlenecks to delivery, such as the incredibly poor adoption of essential infrastructure. A consistent, transparent, and efficient adoption process is essential to create a fairer system for both house builders and future homeowners.鈥�
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