Queen's Hills, Costessey prepares for road adoption

There are currently more than 5,000 people living in nearly 2,000 homes in Queen's Hills, a one-kilometre-wide housing plot in Costessey.

But the estate's neighbourhoods are overseen by six different developers - Bloor, Taylor Wimpey, Kier, Bovis, Barratt and Laing - who are each responsible for maintaining the roads, streetlights, drainage and utilities within their purview. 

Queen's Hills has developments built by six separate groups (Image: Google Maps)

This makes reporting problems to the relevant authority difficult, according to Old Costessey councillor Sharon Blundell, who has campaigned to have the estate's main roads adopted by Norfolk County Council (NCC) and its highways department for the "betterment" of the community. 

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New and existing roads can be adopted by highway authorities so that they become maintainable at public expense, rather than at the developer's expense, which she feels would ease the issues plaguing the small community. 

And news of the scheme's adoption is all but confirmed, with Sir Alfred Munnings Road, Fairway, Poethlyn Drive, Kestrel Avenue and Fieldfare Way soon becoming council-maintained in the six-phase scheme.

Six main roads will be adopted in the scheme (Image: Norfolk County Council)

Sharon said: "The consortium of developers has been meeting with NCC on a regular basis and I can confirm that the first phase has been agreed.

"Work will soon start so please be aware there will be some disruption while the roads finally get ready for adoption.

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"Discussions with the council regarding the remaining phases are under way and we intend to have another meeting in mid-June."

Old Costessey councillor Sharon Blundell has confirmed the adoption will soon begin (Image: Costessey Town Council)

As part of the first and sixth phases, the estate would have a new bus lane installed in Sir Alfred Munnings Road, the only road in and out.

Other additions will include a bus shelter, streetlamp bulb replacement and landscaping.

It comes years after calls for adoption were made by folks on the estate who complained of delays in fixing pavements and constant traffic issues due to the single-road approach. 

These calls date back to the initial construction of Queen's Hills in 2006, nearly two decades ago, which were widely supported by Costessey town councillors.