The Group Manager Planning and Development Services provided an overview of the highway adoption process in Bridgend and outline the various stages involved in road adoption, the issues and problems together with the potential for improvement to the system both locally and nationally.

He informed the Forum the Council is responsible for overseeing the processes to secure the adoption of new highways and the modification of existing highways constructed by developer, commonly known as Section 38 and Section 278 agreement highway works.  The local highway authority can ‘adopt’ a road but there is no legal process to force developers to seek adoption.  The Council will only adopt a new road if it is constructed to certain standards and may also adopt an existing road but in doing so takes on the ongoing maintenance liability.  The adoption process normally starts at planning pre-application stage where a developer enters into discussion with the local planning authority and the highway authority regarding a new development - planning and highway requirements are set out.  He outlined the problems with the current process and possible solutions.

He informed the Forum that the Minister for Education and Transport had set up an Unadopted Roads Task Force to look at the issues in Wales and

in so doing identify the extent of unadopted roads and what could be done

to improve the situation.  As a result a Good Practice Guide was agreed together with the use of a set of common Common Standards.  Once implemented, this approach is considered to reduce significantly the chances of any further ‘unadopted road’ being created. Work has also progressed in establishing a database to provide a comprehensive record of all unadopted roads in Wales, which has been used to provide the quantum of unadopted roads.  He stated that a final report was issued in September 2020 to build on the initial work and address the recommendations emanating from the initial report.  He highlighted the recommendations emanating from the report.

A member of the Forum commented that unadopted roads are causing major problems for residents in many valley communities and asked if the Council could take up this issue.  The Leader advised that this is one of the areas being looked at by the Task Force to establish the extent of the problem.  The Group Manager Planning and Development Services informed the Forum that this is an issue across Wales in both rural and urban areas and whether there is no registered owner, the burden falls on the residents. There would be a considerable financial burden on the Council to adopt roads which are unadopted and with no resources to do so. 

A member of the Forum asked would the Council consider an approach by a Town or Community Council if it was able to bring up a road to an adoptable standard or to make a partial contribution.  The Leader commented that the Council may consider such an approach and the Council is open to working with Town and Community Councils.  The Group Manager Planning and Development Services informed the Forum that the Council did not have resources to adopt roads and there is no programme for adoptions, however a Town and Community Council could support the adoption of a road.   

RESOLVED:

1. That the Town and Community Council Forum noted the report.

2. That a further report be presented to the Forum on progress once the Welsh Government Unadopted Roads Task Force recommendations are available and whether resources are made available by the Welsh Government to support a programme for the adoption of roads. If resources become available consideration be given to working with Town and Community Councils to bring roads up to an adoptable standard.