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Unadopted Roads

Asked by Mr Andrew SnowdenConservativeDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 16 October 2025UIN 79039

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of unadopted roads on new housing developments due to developers.

Answered by Simon Lightwood

Following the publication of the Competition and Markets Authority’s Housebuilding Market Study in February 2024, the Department has noted a downward trend in road adoption rates across England, particularly in areas with new housing developments. In response, the Department is undertaking research into the road adoption process under the Highways Act 1980 to assess the scale of the issue nationally and identify opportunities to improve the system to reverse the downward trend. Additionally, the Department is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to explore reforms to the planning process that support more effective road adoption outcomes.

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