Protections for people on new build estates

Emma Foody, Member of Parliament for Cramlington and Killingworth, has set out the importance of delivering greater protections for people on new build estates as the government is shortly due to consult on privately managed estates.

Speaking in Parliament, Ms Foody highlighted the difficulties that people faced during cold and icy conditions as a result of unadopted roads not being gritted, and residents struggling to get around. Following contact from residents, the MP secured grit bins from developers on a number of estates in North Tyneside and Northumberland to help address the issue, however, it was entirely at the discretion of individual developers

The government has committed to consulting on the issue of privately managed estates, with the consultation starting before the end of the year.

Addressing the issue in Parliament, Ms Foody said “Last month the cold snap in my patch saw local residents on new estates struggle with icy roads and pavements. I took their concerns to developers, and I am pleased that grits bins have been installed.

“I know this may appear trivial but not to residents on these estates and it highlights the importance of the consultation the government is holding on greater protections for those on unadopted estates.”

In response, the Leader of the House, Sir Alan Campbell said:

“I congratulate her on getting developers to take this matter seriously and get the residents the grit bins they want – that’s not an easy achievement.

“As she points out, unadopted roads can cause a range of issues for residents and we are consulting on how we can speed up and simplify the process of adoption of roads”.

Following the question, Ms Foody added:

“People living on new estates pay council tax and often estate management fees on top yet frequently miss out on basics such as gritting or grit bins, due to the roads being unadopted. They are entirely in the hands of developers and estate management companies whether these are provided.

“I’ve been pushing this issue locally with developers and nationally to provide greater protections for residents on new estates and will be feeding in the experience of people locally to the consultation to push for change in this area”.