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Development Control Function

Bournemouth Borough Council, as Highway Authority is a statutory consultee of the planning process and is bound to provide guidance on the suitability of the impact of the planning application in respect of highway safety and compliance with relevant policy and advice notes. The Highway Authority deals with applications as diverse as an individual driveway or access to multi-million pound development schemes, all of which are assessed under the latest Government guidance.

Searches

Additional enquiry numbers 17-36 on Part II of the Land Charges Form Con29A relate to matters such as road schemes, public footpaths, planning and environmental service matters. Bournemouth Borough Council, as the Highway Authority holds certain statutory documents such as the road adoption register and the Local Transport Plan, which indicate publicly maintainable highway and road schemes respectively. When an individual buys a property a search is undertaken to establish whether there are any proposals that will adversely affect the property. The Highway Authority as part of the Council’s property search process provides the Central Services Directorate with this information, which in turn compiles all the information and provides the prospective purchaser with the full details.

Road Adoption

Road adoption is a term used to describe the council taking ownership of a 'private street'. A 'private street' is a road, which is not maintained at public expense. This means that the council, as a highway authority, is under no obligation to carry out repairs or cleansing to the street, even though it could be a public right of way to which highway and traffic law can be applied.

New roads that have been constructed in accordance with the Council's guidelines are normally adopted by way of an agreement between the developer and the Council under section 38 of the Highways Act. Existing roads will not normally be adopted unless they are brought up to current standards by the owners of the road. It may for example be unpaved, without kerbs, footways, surface water sewers, gullies and lighting or any of these features, and its surface is probably in a bad condition.

Under the provisions of Sections 205 to 218 of the Highways Act 1980, the highway authority, that is the Council, may resolve to raising the standard of a private street by providing any or all of the missing features or by improving the standard of any existing features. This procedure enables the Council on completion of necessary remedial works to adopt the street as a highway maintainable at public expense.

When a new development is implemented for houses and the road serving the development caters for more than 6 dwellings, it is normally requested that the road be adopted by the Council and thereafter maintained at public expense. The developer enters into an agreement to make up the road at their cost to a standard that is acceptable to Bournemouth Borough Council, in the role of the Highway Authority, after which the Council adopts the road as public highway. This ensures that the road is suitable for the use for which it is intended and alleviates any concerns/obligations of the new property owners for its upkeep.

To complete a road adoption online application, please click here.

Contact Us

For more information, please contact the Development Control Team at:

Planning & Transport,
Town Hall Annexe,
St. Stephens Road,
Bournemouth BH2 6EA

Tel.  (01202) 454681
Fax. (01202) 451007
E-Mail. highways@bournemouth.gov.uk