Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Estate Adoption: North-east England — [Carolyn Harris in the Chair]

15 October 2024 · 5 other contributors · 3,808 words

Opened by Emma Foody Labour (Co-op) Cramlington and Killingworth

Responding minister: Matthew Pennycook

HousingLocal Government

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Emma Foody raised concerns about estate adoption: north-east england — [carolyn harris in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Residents in the constituency face delays in basic infrastructure delivery such as roads, pavements, street lighting, and pedestrian crossings.
  • Local authorities lack the power to compel developers to meet adoptable standards, leaving them to handle resident complaints after the developers leave.
  • The Government is asked to ensure common adoptable standards and mandatory adoption of amenities, providing clarity and accountability for timely infrastructure delivery.

Key requests to Government

The Government should ensure that estate adoption includes common adoptable standards, mandatory adoption of amenities where standards are met, and certainty for residents about timescales. This would give clarity to residents and enable local authorities to hold developers accountable for timely infrastructure delivery.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Emma Foody Labour (Co-op) Cramlington and Killingworth

Residents in my constituency face unacceptable delays in the delivery of basic infrastructure such as road surfaces, pavements, street lighting, pedestrian crossings, and road markings. David lives on an estate where residents are cut off from facilities due to unfinished footpaths; Iain has faced excuses for three years regarding road surface improvements; and Mark has lived five years without street lighting despite paying full council tax and management fees. Local authorities lack power to compel developers to meet adoptable standards, leaving them to deal with resident complaints long after the developer's departure.

Other contributors (5)
  • Chris McDonald Lab Stockton North

    There are unfinished estates with high maintenance charges and lack of facilities, such as Willow Sage Court, Wynyard, and Queensgate; there should be a national framework of standards for private developers and sanctions for non-delivery.

  • David Smith Lab North Northumberland

    In Amble, a private developer left an estate in a scruffy state and tried to escape blame through contractual error; there is also a 65% decrease in planning spending in the north of England.

  • Grahame Morris Lab Co-op Easington

    Morris agrees that the current system is skewed towards developers, with little power given to residents and local authorities. He supports the need for clearer standards and mandatory adoption of amenities.

  • Joe Morris Lab Hexham

    Residents in rural communities contact me about unsafe compounds and concerns over road conditions, damaging ongoing faith in the community and spirit; asks the Minister to elaborate on the importance of estate adoption.

  • Melanie Onn Lab Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes

    Local authorities should be given additional powers and caps on costs to force developers to complete estates so that people can live in their dream home.

Government Response

Matthew Pennycook

It is a real pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mrs Harris. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Cramlington and Killingworth on securing this important debate. She has only been in the House for a short time but has already earned a well-deserved reputation as a hard-working and conscientious Member, and a doughty champion of her constituents' interests. The distinct set of problems faced by residential freeholders on private or mixed-tenure estates is well known and well understood, including excessive or inappropriate charges levied for minimal or even non-existent services, lack of transparency in estate management charges and fees, and the quality and timely delivery of infrastructure and amenities. At the root of many of these problems are the falling levels of adoption of amenities on housing estates by local authorities, as detailed in the CMA's house building market study published in February 2024. The Government is clear that the current situation is unfair and unreasonable and must be brought to an end. They intend to consult with homeowners, developers, local authorities, management companies, and others to develop meaningful and effective solutions to these problems. The consultation will need to consider a wide range of trade-offs, including costs to homeowners and local authorities, potential impacts on housing supply, and the links to the planning system. In direct response to the CMA's recommendations, we are committed to ending the injustice of fleecehold and better protecting residential freeholders from unfair costs.

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