Your committee had a meeting with Trinity on 11th February 2025 and we have exchanged a number of emails over recent months.  We have been discussing the service they will be providing when they assume responsibility for maintaining the Public Open Spaces (POS) on our developments.

Whilst they won’t be taking on this responsibility for some time we wanted to establish a relationship and understand how things will work.  This report sets out what we have learned so far in terms of adoption of the POS and how maintenance payments will be worked out.

About Trinity

To give them their full name: Trinity (Estates) Property Management Limited.  (Company Number 03853617).  Part of the Trinity Property Group Limited, they are based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

Trinity are the designated ‘Management Company” for both Herdwick Gate and Herdwick Fold developments, as set out in the transfer documents we all signed when we bought our homes.

When will Trinity take over?

It is too early to say.  All POS must be of an acceptable standard before Trinity will take over maintenance from Taylor Wimpey, and right now there is plenty of remedial work to be done before this can happen.  For example trees and shrubs are deficient and the gravel pathways are in a terrible condition.

Best estimates at this stage would be that Trinity could potentially adopt Herdwick Gate POS by late summer 2025.  Herdwick Fold POS is unlikely to be adopted in 2025 due to the number of issues that need to be resolved.

What will Trinity do when they take over?

Each development will be managed separately.  A maintenance schedule will be produced setting out exactly what work will be done.

This will cover things like maintenance of the POS including the green landscape, play area and attenuation basin.  For Herdwick Gate only it will also include maintenance of the bricked roads.  On top of that they will arrange things like Public Liability Insurance, any inspections required and other administrative and management tasks.

A Trinity manager will conduct a site visit every eight weeks and we will be notified when this is so we can speak with them.  Play areas will be inspected every six months.  The attenuation basins will be maintained twice a year.  General landscaping maintenance is normally 21 visits a year.

It’s important to note that roads and pavements will not be maintained by Trinity.  These will eventually be adopted by Warwickshire County Council.

How much will Trinity charge?

The estimated cost of all required work will be set out in an annual budget and the total amount will be divided equally by the number of properties on the development.

For example, we have seen a budget that was drawn up for Herdwick Fold which was intended to give prospective home buyers an indication of costs.  Back then the total annual estimated cost was £27,157.  Divided by 143 properties this worked out at about £190 per household per annum, or around £16 per month.  That was a few years ago so clearly the cost will have increased.

When will residents start to pay?

Right now any maintenance activity you see is organised by Taylor Wimpey and they pay for this, not residents.

At some stage our POS will be inspected by Stratford District Council (SDC) to ensure it meets the required standards.  We are nowhere near this happening as many issues remain which Taylor Wimpey needs to put right.

But in future when SDC signs it off as ready for adoption Taylor Wimpey will transfer title of the land over to Trinity and at this point Trinity becomes responsible for maintenance.

Normally this is the point at which residents would expect to start paying for maintenance.  However in the case of both developments there is an unusual legal agreement in place that should defer the start of these payments for a period of seven years.  This is the Section 106 Agreement.

The Section 106 Agreement

To discover more about this please refer to our earlier report, which explains the situation in detail.

The latest news we have is that Taylor Wimpey appear to be questioning the wording of this agreement.  We are in touch with SDC to ensure that nothing happens which will result in residents being disadvantaged.

What input will residents have in relation to the maintenance service?

Trinity will set up a management team for each development.  The Residents Association Committee will have a seat at the table to represent all residents, but if you are especially keen to have your say you can also ask to be there in your own right.

Trinity have the final decision on matters however they have said they will listen to residents.  For example, when Trinity are tendering for businesses to do on site works, they would consider suggestions from us for local suppliers who meet their procurement standards.

Can we remove them if they do a bad job?

In theory yes we can, but it would be a last resort as it would be a complicated matter.

According to the legal documents we all signed when we bought our houses, if a majority of residents decide they wish to remove Trinity there is a way of doing this.  In reality we would want to work closely with Trinity to ensure standards are maintained and to resolve any issues as they arise.

 

The Residents Association Committee will continue to keep in touch with Trinity to ensure we are kept up to speed on the work to transfer responsibility for maintenance over to them.

If you have any comments on current maintenance work, or if you have any questions about how maintenance under Trinity will work please drop us line.  You can contact us here.

 

HGHF-RA Committee

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