200 households in unadopted Peterborough streets protest to MP over services and fees

More than 200 residents living in so-called ‘unadopted’ roads in Peterborough have protested to the city’s MP over fees charged for a range of services from lighting to roads management.

The residents have contacted Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes to voice concerns about some of the conditions of unadopted roads, which are those streets which have not been handed over to Peterborough City Council by the homes developer.

In these cases the roads are overseen by a management company on behalf of the developer and residents pay annual charges for the roads’ upkeep.

Mr Pakes said: “I’ve been contacted by more than 200 households now on the issue of unfair charges.

"The concerns are about a mix of things from road management, service charges, fixing street lights.

He said: “In Peterborough, several new estates remain unadopted.

"Roads such as those around Manor Drive and Aldermans Drive-remain unadopted and, as a result, responsibility for roads, drains, and lighting stays with the developer or a private management company instead of the local authority.

“This leaves homeowners reliant on unregulated companies for estate maintenance and roads, often facing high and unpredictable charges because the council does not oversee these services.

Mr Pakes added: “These streets have not been adopted by the council due to a flaw in the development process.

"Estates need to meet certain standards before councils will take them over.

"But it means you end up with some residents facing a double whammy – Council Tax and leasehold charges. It is unfair.”

Mr Pakes has joined with more than 30 other MPs in issuing a strong letter to major housing developers, demanding urgent action to tackle the growing issue of unadopted housing estates.

They have highlighted that 80 percent of new housing estates in the UK remain unadopted, exposing residents to escalating estate management fees and unplanned repair costs.

Mr Pakes said he has asked the council how often it reviews unadopted roads and he urged a local group to come together to get these developments updated and adopted by the council.

“This is a pressing issue for communities like ours in Peterborough. Families moving into new homes deserve assurances that their estates will be properly maintained without facing hidden fees or unfair charges.

“Developers must work transparently with councils to resolve this growing problem and ensure fairness for homeowners."

A council spokesperson said: “Unadopted roads are private property and the council does not have the legal power to take ownership of private land or force a land owner to enter into an adoption agreement.

“The onus is on a developer or landowner to enter into a section 38 agreement with the local highways authority (Peterborough City Council) in order to start the adoption of a road, which would enable us to review the plans and inspect during construction.

“Where this does not happen, it can cause delays or prevent the road from being adopted.

“We try to work with developers in all instances, however, we do not have the legal power to enforce the adoption of a road.”