Streets

Verges alongside the road are usually part of the public highway.

Maintenance (including grass cutting) of highway verges is conducted on the Highway Manager’s behalf by the Leisure Services Department.

Other verges, particularly those in the former council estates in the old Rochester Council area, are owned by mhs homes and are maintained by its contractors.

Some verges are maintained by the council’s Community Services Department as the housing authority and a few verges are private.

Service margins

On newer housing estates, "service margins" sometimes replace the footway with a grassed area that provides access to service ducts and cables.

There are two types of service margin:

• where the margin is dedicated as public highway by the developer, the margin has the same status as a highway verge. Although in normal circumstances, maintenance of the margin by anyone other than the highway authority is discouraged, the local policy is to allow cultivation with moderately-sized plants that are unlikely to either damage the services beneath or obstruct sight lines.
• where the adjoining landowner retains ownership of the margin, but there is a condition attached to the deeds of the property that allows statutory undertakers (public utility companies) to lay and maintain their services in the service margin.

There is a tendency for householders to treat service margins as part of their gardens. However, they should be left as verges, with no fences, walls, etc. built on them.

The council has maps that show the ownership of verges and service margins available for inspection at the Compass Centre.

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