Unadopted Roads

(asked on 25th February 2026) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department collects on the number of unadopted roads going through the Section 38 process by local authority.


Answered by
Simon Lightwood Portrait
Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This question was answered on 3rd March 2026

The Department does not collect data on the number of roads that have been, or are currently being, adopted by local authorities. Decisions on whether to adopt a road rest with the relevant local authority, provided the road meets the necessary design standards for adoption. The Department is aware of a decline in the adoption of roads within new developments and is undertaking research to better understand the adoption process under the Highways Act 1980 and how it might be improved in the future. We will aim to publish the findings of the project as soon as possible this year.

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