Tories officially wash their hands of any responsibility for open spaces or play areas on the new developments

Tories officially wash their hands of any responsibility for open spaces or play areas on the new developments

The Tories have created a model in which all the open space and play equipment on new developments like Autumn Brooke and Ladden Gardens will be owned by a PRIVATE company (set up by the developers) who then charge the residents to run the open spaces and play areas. Residents have been finding they have no way to ensure the company comes up to scratch. And S Glos who created this mess say the only solution is for a legal challenge by residents to private company.

So at yesterday's S Glos Council Cllr Mike Drew asked: "What efforts is the administration undertaking to ensure developers who have been given the responsibility for maintaining of Public Open Spaces and Play Areas in their development actually undertake the work for which they are charging the residents?"

Answer: from the Tory Cabinet "Once development is completed the relationship between the developer (or the company established to carry out the maintenance) and residents is a contractual one between these two parties.

As such any challenge is a legal one for the affected residents to take against the management company. Local Authorities have no power, authority or remit to intervene in what is a civil dispute.

Local authorities can, however, intervene if there is a breach of planning and officers are aware of at least one potential case. Although the development has been completed there is a five year management plan for the landscaping under a Condition on the Permission which may still be within time. The Planning Enforcement team, together with the specialist officer in Planning, are investigating to determine whether the Condition had been fully complied with. If this is not the case the council may be in a position to secure compliance and require the developer to ensure implementation and maintenance of the agreed landscape plan, for which residents are being charged."

Surely they should be trying to solve the problems their approach has created? At least with open spaces and play areas run by a council, if you don't like what they are doing you can sack them at the next election!