In a message dated 17/03/2004 09:54:11 GMT Standard Time, wrightgc@optusnet.com.au writes: > I imagine it has something to do with the cottages, but it > seems so strange that one short one hundred metre stretch in the middle of a > fully developed built up area should be unsealed Hi Gordon, It appears that the road was 'unadopted' by the local authority. I have one at the bottom of my garden which serves a row of cottages. If the residents wish the road to be adopted, and maintained by the local authority, then they have to pay for the initial work to be done. Unadopted roads, often referred to as private roads, are roads that do not reach the minimum adoptable standards set by the local authority. As such, unadopted roads do not receive any maintenance by councils. Unadopted roads usually consist of a dirt or rubble-track that in many cases do not have basic services such as drainage and street lighting. Although referred to as private, many unadopted roads are also a public thoroughfare and therefore cannot be fenced off or obstructed. It would appear that unadopted roads are a ‘legacy of the past’ something that just ‘came about’ over a period of time and several generations, in the days before planning regulations and Tarmac roads. The problem of unadopted roads continues to exist today because of disagreements between residents and local authorities over the financing of improvements. Many unadopted roads are also plagued by uncertainties/disputes regarding land ownership. http://www.sunderlandroads.org.uk/unadopted.html Regards Stan Mapstone