Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will undertake a review of the Highways Act 1980 in regard to road adoptions, in the context of the cost to residents of petitioning under Section 37 of the Act for roads on a new estate to be adopted when developers go into administration.

The Department is undertaking a dedicated research project examining the current road adoption landscape in England, collating evidence from local highway authorities and stakeholders, and assessing options to streamline processes and improve outcomes. Findings from this work will inform any future policy or legislative considerations. We will consider the implications of the project’s conclusions for developments such as Wychavon in due course and will set out next steps once the research is complete.