Following on from the recent survey of residents we wanted to update you on what’s happening with issues that are important to us all.

Roads and pavements

It’s great news that both developments now have roads and pavements.  On Herdwick Fold we are waiting for final checks and remedial works before everything is signed off and the clock starts ticking on the 12 month monitoring period prior to Warwickshire County Council adopting.

Herdwick Gate is further along this journey and we expect adoption to be confirmed in 2026 as long as there are no emerging issues.

Public Open Space (POS) Landscaping

Taylor Wimpey remain responsible for landscaping and employ contractors to maintain trees, bushes and grassed areas.  The Residents Association has previously provided them with feedback about planting failures and we know that Stratford District Council (SDC) Planning Department has also been out to check things for themselves. 

Taylor Wimpey has carried out some re-planting work but issues remain.  So this is still something we continue to monitor as a ‘Work in Progress’.

Surface Water Drainage and Footpaths

The poor condition of the footpaths is inextricably linked to the issues we have with inadequate surface water drainage on both developments.  This is a massive issue for residents, especially during the winter period.  If you use the footpaths you will know how waterlogged and uneven they are from erosion, making them difficult and dangerous to use. 

Even if you don’t use the footpaths it’s still a problem because if we are not careful we will all end up paying for the cost of putting this right.  Repairing the footpaths across our two developments will cost thousands of pounds.  We must ensure that we don’t end up footing the bill.

This is why we have been very clear in explaining our concerns to both Taylor Wimpey and to SDC Planning.  We are holding them to account to make sure the footpaths are made fit for purpose and we also wish to ensure that surface water can be properly drained so that erosion does not happen again.

You may have noticed work going on with new drainage chambers being installed on the Herdwick Fold site.  See below.

We believe that some of the ones along Campden Road are to do with a redundant drainage pipe that could be re-used to take away surface water.  This would be good news. 

Furthermore we understand that work is about to start on the west side of Herdwick Fold (pictured below) that will hopefully mitigate the flooding on that side and towards the back of the development.  We continue to monitor the situation.

Maintenance Payments

We are doing a lot behind the scenes on this to make sure we don’t get stung by premature or excessive demands for maintenance payments.

For some time the Residents Association committee has been talking to Taylor Wimpey, SDC and Trinity (the designated maintenance company).  More recently we have helped to establish the Shipston New Build Forum, where representatives from six Shipston new build sites have come together to share experiences and provide mutual support, as we seek to get a fair outcome for residents.

You may be asking why is this even an issue?  After all, most of us are not paying anything for maintenance yet.  The answer is that we have seen residents on other new build sites in the area treated unfairly therefore we want to be on the front foot, so we don’t get caught out.  We have three aims which we could call the Gold, Silver and Bronze medal solutions.

Gold Medal

The best solution would be for the council to fully adopt our POS, whereby all we would pay is our normal council tax, with no additional maintenance payments.  This is an aspiration that is worth fighting for but it may be a hard battle to win.

Notwithstanding the fact that all of us signed a contract to pay maintenance it is in our view an unfair contract term.  Why should a small number of residents have to pay to maintain space that can be accessed by the general public?  This should be maintained by the council and covered by council tax. 

Our local District councillor Dave Passingham agrees with us on this.  He is on the recently established SDC ‘Task & Finish Group’ looking in to the maintenance of public spaces by private companies.  We are feeding our views in to this review.  It’s also something that our MP Manuela Perteghella is trying to get traction on in Parliament, as this is a national issue.

Silver Medal

In the short term we are focused on ensuring Taylor Wimpey honour their legal obligation to fund maintenance costs for the first seven years following SDC issuing a certificate to sign off the development as complete.  This is a clause in our Section 106 agreement - a legal document between the builders and the council.  See image below which shows an extract from the S106 agreement for Herdwick Fold. 

We want Taylor Wimpey to do the right thing and if necessary we want SDC to enforce this agreement.  Clearly if they pay for the first seven years that means residents don’t have to.  This could result in savings totalling thousands of pounds for each home.  That's why this is a big deal.

The issue here is that a number of nearby new builds have seen developers ignore this seven year clause and residents have been asked to pay.  This is wrong.  We know of one development in Wellesbourne where they managed to get these payments refunded, but we know of others who are still paying.  We have repeatedly asked Taylor Wimpey to confirm they will do the right thing and they have refused to answer.  We have told SDC we expect them to enforce the Section 106 agreements but their response has been less than satisfactory.  So the fight goes on.

Bronze Medal

Whilst we are working to achieve Gold or Silver, the very minimum we expect is some say in how our maintenance is delivered.  In this regard we have already engaged with Trinity and we have been promised a seat at the table of the management teams who will deliver our maintenance services.  So at least we will have input when it comes to putting together a schedule of services and the ongoing monitoring of standards.  At the moment Taylor Wimpey do the bare minimum, with no visible maintenance schedule.

Community Spirit

With the festive season rapidly approaching it’s worth remembering that despite all these issues our recent survey of residents revealed that this is a great place to live. 

We are blessed to be part of a brilliant community in a delightful town on the edge of the Cotswolds. 

At this time of year let’s take time to think of our neighbours, especially those who may live alone.  Why not have a chat with a neighbour you haven’t seen for a while and spread a little Christmas cheer.

The Residents Association committee would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a peaceful and happy new year.

 

HGHF-RA Committee

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