Clause 15

Part of Housing and Regeneration Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 4:45 pm on 15 January 2008.

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Photo of Roberta Blackman-Woods Roberta Blackman-Woods PPS (Rt Hon Des Browne, Secretary of State), Ministry of Defence 4:45, 15 January 2008

I have some sympathy with the point that the hon. Gentleman was making. However, I suspect that going from the current situation, in which it is almost impossible to get unadopted roads adopted, to one where residents can simply request that they are adopted and it is done, is too much distance to travel in one Bill.

The Minister will know that, in constituencies such as mine, where there is a huge legacy of houses being bought from commercial quota but streets not being adopted, there is a problem of unadopted roads. I am glad to see the provisions in the clause, even though the circumstances are limited. Any provisions that allow some unadopted streets to be adopted is a move in the right direction. Will he confirm that it is the HCA’s responsibility to identify such streets and to ensure that they are adopted by the relevant street works authority?