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Unadopted roads

Medway Council is not responsible for maintaining unadopted roads.

The developer or applicant named on the planning application is responsible for a road that is not adopted. If a Section 38 Agreement of The Highways Act 1980 (the Act)  is signed, the developer, as street manager, maintains the road until adoption is complete.

If no agreement or notice under the Act has been entered into, the developer or a private management company remains responsible for the road and the road is private. A road will also remain private if the council does not receive fees or information from the developer.

The developer of a road is whoever signed the Road Agreement or Notice (specific to each site). It may be a housing association, a landowner or a builder.

The developer will have to pay all costs until the road is adopted. If a road is to remain private, costs will be the responsibility, jointly, of all the householders with a frontage on the road.

The council cannot force private developers to carry out work on an unadopted road. It can and does make representations on behalf of residents of new roads but it has no powers under the Act to make developers comply.

Download the list of streets  (pdf 4,709KB) which details those roads that are private or publicly maintainable.

To download a pdf you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have it on your computer, please use our advice page.

Enquiries about road adoption should be made via customer services using the contact details provided below or by completing the online form.

 

For more information contact Customer First by telephone: 01634 333333 / SMS text messaging: 07739 657073 or by email: customer.first@medway.gov.uk

Write to: Customer First, Medway Council, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TR

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