City councillor calls for Earl’s Park to be adopted

A city councillor is calling for a newly built estate in Gloucester to be adopted by the county council.

Councillor Sebastian Field, who represents Podsmead, wants the highways department to take on the responsibility for road repairs, drain clearance and other work for the Earl’s Park area.

The new estate, which is between Tuffley Crescent and Bristol Road, is covered by a Section 38 agreement between Gloucestershire County Council and the developer Matthew Homes, which was signed in 2017. 

This legal agreement does not allow for partial adoption of any of the site until the entire development has been completed, which could take several more years.

Meanwhile the section of the estate off Tuffley Crescent – Manu Marble Way and Neven Place – is already finished and has been for some time.

It is a separate area in that there is no legal vehicle cut through to the Bristol Road side of the estate, and it is only accessible on foot.

“This area could be adopted and the legal agreement altered with consent from both parties,” said Councillor Sebastian Field.

“Matthew Homes have asked many times for this to happen. It has also been suggested that due to the estate being unadopted, the area does not currently fall into a catchment area for secondary schools.

“The council have said they won’t adopt this side of the estate until the whole development is complete, but that could be another few years.

“I don’t really see why they couldn’t adopt this finished section, especially as it is effectively separate as there is no legal route through to the Bristol Road side of the estate. 

“Adopting this side would do no harm and would also put pressure on both the developer and the council to finish the other side and get that adopted too.”

The Liberal Democrat councillor added: “I have therefore started a petition to the county council, to amend their legal agreement and adopt this part of the site now.”

The full petition can be viewed and signed at www.gloucester-libdems.org.uk/podsmead