Stanton residents angry at time it is taking to manage their own estate

Frustrated residents say they are fed up waiting to take over management of their housing estate.

The residents at Mill View estate, Stanton, were due to take over the role three years ago after the houses were completed

It would mean they would become responsible for things such as the play area, car park lighting and grounds maintenance. But they say delays sorting out the arrangements between the developers, Abbey New Homes, and Suffolk County Council Highways, has left them in limbo.

In short, the developers appear to be dragging their feet," said resident Brian Brown.

Despite the strenuous efforts of Suffolk County Council and lobbying by residents there is very little progress towards adoption over a three year period.

“At the moment, the estate is still managed by two companies appointed by the developers and, to be frank, over the last three years we haven’t been happy with how the estate has been managed. Three years ago for example we had to ask our MP to intervene because the play area was dangerous, and there have been other issues since then.”

Mill View is a development of 101 homes. Abbey New Homes appointed Upthorpe Management as the managing agent and Crabtree Property Management as as the managing company. The residents currently pay £195 to Crabtree for work such as lawns and general maintenance.

Before the residents can form a managing company themselves, they need Suffolk County Highways to adopt the roads and pavements. They have already adopted the lighting.

The residents have now written to West Suffolk MP Matt Hancock and the secretary of state for housing, communities and local Government, Robert Jenrick, for support.

A spokesperson for Abbey New Homes said: “We understand and appreciate that the residents are keen to see the roads adopted as soon as possible and we are addressing this matter with Suffolk County Council as a matter of priority.

“The development has been completed in line with plans approved by the council’s Highways professionals.

"However we understand that the council require additional formalities as part of the adoption process which we are looking to resolve as quickly as possible.”

Help to keep journalism alive in Suffolk by subscribing to our app for £4.99 a month

Read more: All the latest news from Suffolk

Read more: All the latest news from Bury St Edmunds