26-Mar-10 - Hertfordshire County Council

4.11 Members were advised that a report on Highway Adoption for New Roads
had been to the 10 th November Highways & Transport Panel. The key
recommendations of the report, which are now being introduced, are:
a) In order to give greater clarity:
on developments with no through route, only the main access road will
be considered for adoption. Residential access roads serving
underground car parks, supported by structures or taking the form of
short cul-de-sac with no wider highway benefit will not be considered for
adoption.
b) In order to give earlier certainty:
the extent of adoption should be agreed in principle by the developer
and Highway Authority (planning and implementation teams) at the
planning stage. This should be recorded in the planning consultation
response.
c) In order to achieve a signed Section 38 Agreement as quickly as
possible:
pressure should be brought to bear on developers to enter into S 38
Agreements by the use of highway informative notes in the planning
consultation response.
d) In order to ensure long-term maintenance of un-adopted roads for the
benefit of residents:
if the developer states that they do not want to offer roads for adoption,
the long term maintenance of private (un-adopted) roads in residential
developments should be secured as a standard requirement through a
S106 obligation.
e) In order to give greater clarity to residents:
street name plates on un-adopted roads should clearly identify them as
such (this will require co-operations with the developer / LPA)
f) In order to improve joint working for collective benefit:
it is recommended that the aspects requiring cooperation of the Local
Planning Authorities are discussed with them and protocols established
under the Pathfinder banner.
g) In order to reduce the numbers of roads waiting to be adopted:
the backlogs of historical adoptions should continue to be actively
managed down by Hertfordshire County Council officers as quickly as
resources permit.
Members of the Topic Group endorsed these changes, though some
members were concerned that the decision not to adopt cul-de-sacs may
prove problematic. They asked that OSC consider adding to their work
programme a further one day scrutiny of Road Adoptions, to take place
in the autumn of 2011, that focussed on the implementation of the
recommendations detailed above. (Recommendation 2.5)
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