A letter from Dr Malcolm Towers
We enjoy this privilege because Dene Road and the roads and closes leading off it
(except for Foxdell) are "unadopted" i.e. the Council is not responsible for their upkeep.
Provided we maintain our roads, act reasonably, sensibly and within the law and official
guidelines (and we may need expert advice about the last two), the Council is unlikely to
interfere. If we neglect our roads, the Council could adopt them. We would be required to
bring them up to standard (i.e. to provide a high quality road surface, pavements, lighting
etc. with the loss of many trees), at a charge of many thousands of pounds per household.
Dene Road would becoma an "urban motorway" and free carpark.
Our special environment has always been threatened to some extent by the growth of traffic
and aggressive property development, but it is threatened now as never before by these and
other things. If we do nothing, it won't just stay the same, it will be steadily eroded and
the road might be adopted.
The interests of Dene Road have been well served over many years by its Residents' Association
Committee and Chairmen. The pressures on the Committee are increasing sharply and our Committee
needs to be strong, well advised, supported and funded and eternally vigilant. The Committee is
not a "closed shop" - indeed the problem is getting residents to serve on it! The Committee also
welcomes help from people with special interests e.g. traffic calming measures, but, because it
serves all the residents, cannot allow itself to be taken over by any pressure group. Increasingly,
specialist advice is having to be sought from solicitors, surveyors and others - the help of any
resident who could offer this service free of charge would be very welcome.
There has been debate because subscriptions which were fixed at a low level for many years have
risen sharply. Reserves to fund the routine maintenance of the road were running low and it has
been necessary and will be necessary to seek specialist advice about some developments.
Subscriptionsare fixed annually at the Association's AGM. Because the work of the Committee (and
especially of the Chairman on whom the main burden falls) is unpaid, subscriptions are very good
value for money and set against Council Tax and the steady increase in the value of our houses are
still very small.
Association members want to be better informed and more information will be given on the Notice
Board, on this website and in an annual report. Your Committee is actively addressing many other
issues.
Take pride in Dene Road; we are uniquely privileged to be living on it or just off it, but
privileges carry responsibilities. Help your Residents' Association Committee in any way you can and
support the Association.