Northamptonshire village new-build residents left in limbo due to stand-off between developer and authorities

'It's a long tale of inertia'
Millers Road on the new housing development in Welford is yet to be adopted by the county councilMillers Road on the new housing development in Welford is yet to be adopted by the county council
Millers Road on the new housing development in Welford is yet to be adopted by the county council

Residents on a new housing development in a Northamptonshire village feel abandoned as it has still not been formally adopted by the local authorities.

The homes in Welford remain in limbo due to a stand-off between the developer, Severn Trent Water, parish council and county council.

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The lack of progress means Mears Group is still responsible for the maintenance of the road and sewage pumping station, which recently failed and stank out the nearby properties.

The sewage pumping station failed recently, causing a stink in nearby homesThe sewage pumping station failed recently, causing a stink in nearby homes
The sewage pumping station failed recently, causing a stink in nearby homes

James Bland, who lives on Millers Road, said: "It's a long tale of inertia from Mears.

"I don't understand what it is, I don't know if it's deliberate or badly organised or perhaps they're trying to get out of their agreement.

"It's a real mess and difficult to unpick who's responsible for what and who's going to make it happen and what we should do as residents."

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Mears Group was given permission to build the 38-dwelling development in 2014, with residents such as Mr Bland moving in three years later.

One of the conditions for the planning permission was for the developer to spend £30,000 on two bus shelters, raised borders and flags.

But an agreement was made with Welford Parish Council to remove the clause as long as £20,100 was paid to the council for village improvements.

The parish council claims it is still owed the money so it is refusing to adopt the street lights but Mears argues that nothing is owed to the parish council.

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Meanwhile the sewers are yet to be handed over to the water company, according to Severn Trent and Northamptonshire County Council, but again the developer says they have been.

A spokesperson for Mears said: “We can confirm that the process for adoption is in the process of being sorted and have asked the council to expedite this.

"Unfortunately, this can often take time following the completion of a development which begins once the whole development is completed, rather than when residents move in."

The disagreement between the developer and authorities means the road cannot be adopted by the county council to take over its responsibility.

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This has not caused many issues so far but if the road were to deteriorate, it would be down to Mears to fix it rather than the usual highways team.

But the lack of progress on the sewage system means there was confusion over who was responsible when the pumping station failed recently.

Severn Trent was called out but could not fix it because it was still under Mears' control, who fixed the blockage but is still working on a long-term repair.

Mr Bland said: "When it blocks up, neighbours get the smell of sewage in their kitchens and bathrooms.

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"I'm relatively fortunate that I'm 'upstream' but the guys at the bottom are worse off."

A Welford Parish Council spokesperson said: "Welford Parish Council is aware of the issue regarding the adoption of Millers Road and the adoption of the sewers by Severn Trent, which it would like to see resolved to the benefit of all the parishioners in the village."

A Northamptonshire County Council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that, whilst there is an agreement to adopt the road in question, it is incumbent upon the developer to complete the road and ensure that the lighting is adopted by the parish council and sewers by Severn Trent Water. Regrettably that has not yet happened.

“We have, however, contacted the developer regarding these issues and have noted that residents have also engaged with them to move matters forward.

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"As and when these key elements are resolved, we can then look to ensure the road is fully completed and serves its maintenance period before ultimately being adopted by the county council.”

A Severn Trent spokesperson said: “The pumping station is the responsibility of Mears Group and will remain so until the adoption process is complete.

"We’re saddened to hear reports from customers who are experiencing uncomfortable smells in the area.

"We’ll continue to work closely with Mears Group to hurry the process along and bring about a swift conclusion."