HBF research highlights infrastructure adoption issue

A growing number of housing schemes have roads, sewers and drainage left “unadopted” by the relevant local authority or utility provider, according to research by the Home Builders Federation.

A Freedom of Information (FoI) exercise HBF undertook has revealed that of the schemes of ten or more homes built in the past three years, only 10% of sites have had their roads adopted by local authorities. This leaves 90% to be managed by private companies.

This, HBF said, was “creating a fragmented, unfair system for home owners and builders alike”, with costs being passed onto home owners through private management companies when public bodies do not take ownership of essential infrastructure.

With housebuilders required to enter into private management arrangements in these instances, “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”, HBF said.

And 97% of new sewers and 98% of sustainable drainage systems (SuDs) also remain unadopted, “years after construction”.

Local authorities will not adopt roads until sewers are formally adopted. FoI data from the UK’s six largest water companies shows that only 3% of sewer adoption applications were …