RESIDENTS of Somerdale in Keynsham are still waiting for their roads to be adopted by the council after more than a decade – with no clear end in sight.
Among those frustrated by the long wait is resident Richard Hillyer, who has lived on the estate for more than 10 years.
He is calling on Taylor Wimpey, who built the development, and Bath & North East Somerset Council to resolve the matter.
He said: “The council and Taylor Wimpey are playing this long game backwards and forward between themselves, whilst the residents are left in limbo with any issues or action needing to be taken on site.”
Richard cited problems such as a huge pothole outside Somerdale Educate Together Primary School, which many cars hit every morning, and the lack of traffic-calming measures and a crossing by the school.
Kerb edges are damaged and loose across the estate, he said, while workers in nearby businesses are lining the streets with their vehicles rather than using their allocated car parks.
“Yellow lines are not enforced as the roads are not adopted,” he said. “Complete waste of paint.”
Richard said green areas were maintained only because residents paid for this service.
George Leach, Liberal Democrat councillor for Keynsham North on B&NES Council, said: “I share residents’ frustration and fundamentally believe new developments across B&NES should be adopted as soon as possible; it is not morally right that residents receive a different service from other residents based on where they live in the authority.
“That said, much of the work to get the developments in a fit state for adoption rests with the developer and I’m advised there is little the council can do, under the agreements put in place when planning was approved some years ago across multiple developments in Keynsham, to force the issue.
“This is a point of particular concern as there seems to be very little ability to hold large housing developers to account, regardless of what they deliver.
“In regards to Somerdale, I’m advised that there are too many defects to list in the phase 1 build and no agreements are yet in place for phases 2, 3 and 4 for officers to even undertake an initial inspection.
“Further, the sewers have yet to be adopted by Wessex Water – an issue on other developments across Keynsham also – and various traffic regulation orders are not in place.
“It’s therefore a mixed bag, as I cannot advocate for the council to take on significant liabilities that would require considerable remedial work at a cost, but equally I have much sympathy with the position residents living there find themselves in.
“This is the situation in four developments across Keynsham, some of which are much older than Somerdale.”
Cllr Leach said he would like to see more leadership on the matter within the council and foresight with regards to planning applications.
“With the Local Plan for thousands of new houses on the horizon and multiple planning applications being put in, this could easily become a major issue across the authority rather than just being disproportionately limited to Keynsham, as it currently is.”
Resident Richard Hillyer runs a guitar coaching business from Somerdale which coaches students one to one and at guitar club sessions held at the Somerdale Pavillion.
He said: “Don’t get me wrong – we live on a wonderful estate. But cracks are already starting to show with no plan to resolve the issues whilst this negotiation takes place.
“With Minsmere Green being developed at the minute, I believe they will also encounter the same issues further down the line, and it’s important to make house buyers aware.”
He said he was disappointed that Taylor Wimpey had not granted residents’ requests for a meeting to discuss these issues. But the company told the Voice that a meeting would take place in due course.
A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey said: “We remain committed to progressing the adoption of roads and sewers at Somerdale and are actively working with Wessex Water and Bath & North East Somerset Council to advance this process.
“We understand the concerns of residents and will be meeting with them to answer their questions directly. Any maintenance issues brought to our attention will continue to be addressed promptly.”
Councillor Lucy Hodge, B&NES Council cabinet member for sustainable transport delivery, said: “We know this situation is frustrating for residents. The council is unable to inspect whether the roads are suitable for adoption until repairs have been completed by Taylor Wimpey and the sewers have been adopted by Wessex Water.
“The council has no legal powers to make developers offer roads for adoption. However we are continuing to engage with Taylor Wimpey to identify how progress could be made. We advise residents living on unadopted roads to contact the developer directly and as a group.”
