Road adoptions

Road adoption is a process where a privately owned road becomes a public road that we then manage and maintain as part of the public highway.

As a highways authority, we're consulted on planning applications for developments which:

• might affect the road network
• involve construction of new roads

Planning applications for large developments are encouraged to enter a Section 38 Agreement - we can enter a legal agreement with a developer for the adoption of a new road, if the highway's constructed to a specified standard and to our satisfaction.

Existing roads are not normally adopted until the road owner brings the road up to standard. For example, a road may be:

• unpaved
• without kerbs, surface water sewers, gullies or lighting

A private street is a road that's not maintained at public expense. This means we (as the highway authority) do not have to carry out repairs or clean the street, even though it could be a public right of way where highway and traffic laws apply.

List of maintained streets

We must publish a list of all streets that are:

• publicly maintainable (maintained by us, at the public's expense)
• prospectively maintainable (a highway that being constructed or has recently been constructed, where the developer's entered into a Section 38 Agreement with us)
• unadopted (a high not maintained by us the public's expense)

Download the List of Maintained Streets