Project Update (08/07/08)
The second draft consultation document has been circulated for comment and can be accessed by clicking here. Proposals for changes or additions are invited until 31st July 2008.
In May 2007 the Department for Transport (DfT), working with the UK Roads Liaison Group, appointed the recognised market leaders in highway management research, Chris Britton Consultancy (CBC), to review of the practice of charging Commuted Sums for future maintenance of prospectively adoptable highway works, and produce a Good Practice Guidelines Document for local highway authorities in England and Wales.
Commuted sums are not new, and are frequently sought by local highway authorities, from developers, to secure the future maintenance of the general “public realm” aspects of new developments. However, current practices are varied, with little consistency about the way such sums are sought to fund future maintenance of the highway asset.
The aim is for the resulting document to be acceptable to all stakeholders, enabling local authorities to negotiate commuted sums with confidence, and informing developers of potential requirements from the outset of a development project. It will provide clarity and uniformity to the process, and help minimise the risk of legal disputes. The document could also be useful for other transferable assets such as public open spaces etc.
CBC’s main partners for this project are Roger Tym & Partners, providing specialist planning and development economics advice, and Osborne Clarke, providing specialist legal advice. The Guidance will be launched at an appropriate national event during 2008.
The project’s first phase is to establish current practice, and a questionnaire was sent out to local highway authorities and developers in June 2007. Selected telephone interviews followed. The assistance of those contacted was very much appreciated. The initial principle is that information will be non-attributable, but if any experience or policies resolve themselves into good practice we may request that the relevant source be named.For the full Press Release regarding the award of this project, please download the pdf found at the bottom of this news item. The first draft consultation document was circulated for comment with proposals for changes or additions invited until 14th March 2008. This first draft can be accessed by clicking here.
The project is being led by CBC's John Linsley. If you wish to be involved, or to discuss the project, please contact him on 01302 623205 or at john.linsley@chrisbritton.co.uk
