Residents fear older unadopted roads forgotten
Despite a council review promising to deal with a backlog of hundreds of unadopted roads in Northampton, scores of older neglected roads could be forgotten.
County Hall is currently looking at a new strategy to deal with more than 1,000 roads in Northamptonshire where no one is responsible for their upkeep, which includes 336 in Northampton. It is also lobbying the Government to ensure new roads are adopted from the start.
But the review does not cover all unadopted roads. Councillor Graham Lawman (Con, Boughton Green) said: "The change of legislation they are looking at will only cater for newer roads. Many older roads in Northampton will not be covered, for instance Gorse Close in Kingsthorpe, which was built in the 1930s, is a disgrace. There are about 20 houses there and people can't afford to contribute to the upkeep costs.
"I wouldn't even like to hazard a guess at how many roads there are in the same position as Gorse Close. There may be roads out there that like being private roads but there are also those who can't afford the upkeep."
Despite years of trying to have Gorse Close adopted, residents have been unsuccessful and the current road is unsurfaced and riddled with cracks.
Jill Holmes, who has lived on the road for 25 years, said: "It is very unfair if the council is taking into account new roads and forgetting the old ones. We pay council tax too. This road is a mess and it has been since I moved here."
A council spokesman said: "Roads need to be brought up to an adoptable standard before they can be adopted. The scrutiny report is a major step forward in working towards bringing unadopted roads up to standard.
"The scope of this report does not cover situations where there is no developer to carry out the work. There are a number of roads which are private and unadopted. Many residents are happy for that situation to continue.
"However there are other roads which are not adopted with legal, drainage and constructional problems. In many cases substantial work is necessary to bring them up to standard. Regrettably the county council doesn't have the funds."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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