The conflicting views of local government and developers have combined to mean that on many new estates, some form of private management of public areas has become the norm, and it is homeowners on those estates who have paid the price. The Government has recognised this is an issue and additional rights for homeowners are a welcome counterbalance to legislation and law which at best has become outdated.
It is also welcome that the Government does not accept the status quo of assets used by the public being maintained by the private sector. It is our view that roads (and SuDs) and small areas of amenity land should be adopted by local authorities and parish/town councils. And to make the position fair to those bodies and to developers, there needs to be a mechanism for fair adoption charges to be set to make these adoptions sustainable.
Larger developments and the new garden villages though are a different matter; having a dedicated not for profit body stewardship body in which residents have a direct influence is the way forward, and we have made it clear that we think the consultations don’t take sufficient account of trust-based models which are working well in many cases.
Read our response to the consultations on ‘Enhanced protections for homeowners on freehold estates‘ and ‘Reducing the prevalence of private estate management arrangements‘.