Road adoption

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We adopt roads by different methods as prescribed in the Highways Act 1980 and thereby take on the responsibility for their full maintenance.

An adopted road is a road that is maintained at public expense by the Highway Authority, which for Wiltshire, (excluding Swindon Borough) is the Wiltshire Council. All adopted roads are regularly inspected and maintained which may include:

• Resurfacing
• Patching
• Grass cutting
• Gulley cleaning
• Renewal of road markings
• Weed spraying
• Grip re-cutting
• Sign cleaning

Other highways, such as Public Rights of Way (PROW) are open to the public but are not inspected or maintained to the same standards as roads and pavements.

The Motorway (M4) and Trunk Roads (A303, A36, A419) in the county are maintained by agents of the Highways Agency.

How does a road become adopted?

When a road is built by us, adoption is fairly straight forward. If a road is built by a third party, e.g. the builder of a residential, commercial or industrial development, a legal agreement is made (Section 38) with us. This agreement says that we will adopt the roads if they are built too a pre-defined standard of detail and construction. A financial contribution towards future maintenance may also be included. There are different types of agreements that can be entered into with the Highway Authority.

Adopted highways come into existence by means of a legal process and can only cease to be adopted highway by means of a legal process.

Sometimes the adoption process can take a long time and while the road remains unadopted, it is in the ownership of the developer who is also responsible for the maintenance of the road/s within the development.

If you live in a road that is not currently adopted and want to know whether and when the road is likely to be adopted, or if you are a developer proposing to construct a new road and you wish to find out more about the processes required to secure its adoption, please contact us at customercare@wiltshire.gov.uk

Developers can request copies of the "Specification and Notes for Guidance for Highway Works by Developers Under Agreement" which are available at a cost of £8.00.

Adopted roads disclaimer

The information contained on this website is based on records compiled by the council and is correct to the best of our knowledge. It does not however, constitute a definitive statement as to the status of any particular highway and as such the Council does not accept responsibility and shall not be liable for any loss, damage or inconvenience (whether direct or indirect) caused by acting or refraining to act in reliance on material contained in this site. Such liability is excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Users should satisfy themselves that any material they access on this site is suitable for their purposes. To ensure accuracy as to the status of a road, and to check the extent which is maintained at public expense, the council recommends contacting the Highway Records section for either a personal search or property and land-based transaction search. Public Rights of Way are not included within the lists - please contact Highway Records for details relating to these. Finally, the council does not endorse nor accept responsibility or liability for any material maintained by third parties or linked pages.

To view the adopted roads list, please confirm that you have read and understood this notice.

I accept the disclaimer and choose to view the adopted roads list

Last updated: 18 January 2011