HBF urges for consistent approach to road adoption

The cost per highway bond for housebuilders has increased by more than 700% since 2017 according to the Home Builders Federation, as it urges for a consistent approach to road adoption with planning for housing rendered “near impossible”.

HBF’s latest Freedom of Information (FOI) exercise of highways authorities also shows that the highest bond value has increased by more than 1,000% since 2017. “Not only is this a significant variance, it is also a huge increase from previous years,” the organisation said.

Highway bonds are the financial guarantee local authorities ask of developers to ensure a road is built to the agreed standards.

From HBF’s first FOI on the subject in 2017, it was revealed that the average cost per bond ranged from £515 to £321,421. During the 2022-2023 financial year, this had leapt, from £3,619 to £3.6 million.

The fee represents a percentage of the bond value. But according to HBF, this percentage can “vary greatly” across councils, from 3% to 20%.

Meanwhile, the time taken to approve road designs has “shot up” from two weeks to two years.

HBF’s report, Slow Lane to Adoption, analyses the results of HBF’s …