Residents at an unfinished housing development in Oxfordshire have expressed concerns about being left to address significant safety and infrastructure issues at their own expense.

Approximately 30 households at the Linden Gardens site in Carterton say they have been left to deal with problems that emerged after the developer abandoned the project.

The construction of the west Oxfordshire development commenced in 2020, with the housebuilder Taggart Homes vacating the premises in 2023.

Since then, inhabitants have reported multiple deficiencies including uneven manhole covers creating potential tyre hazards, inoperative street lighting, and pavements that have never been completed.

Local resident James Bullen described the estate as unsafe, noting that waterlogging occurs during the winter months.

Charlie Maynard, the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Witney constituency, examined the situation after being contacted by affected householders.

In footage shared on social media platforms, the parliamentarian highlighted the range of outstanding problems visible throughout the development.

Maynard has urged the local authority to resolve the deficiencies and initially fund the work before pursuing recovery from the original developer, a proposal the council has declined.

Central to the residents’ grievances is the contention that Oxfordshire County Council neglected to implement a financial guarantee mechanism intended to protect communities when development companies fail or withdraw from projects.

The advance payments code system is designed to ensure that if a developer becomes insolvent, residents are not liable for completing communal infrastructure such as roads.

Inhabitants assert this safeguard was never applied despite repeated alerts.

Maria Woods, a resident, contended that had the local authority collected the required bond, the current circumstances would not have arisen.

Community members maintain that despite receiving warnings, the council permitted construction to proceed and subsequently failed to intervene when communications with the developer ceased, the site was abandoned, and the company entered insolvency proceedings in June 2025.

The entity responsible for managing the project on behalf of Taggart Homes, TH Carterton Limited, was dissolved last year.

The Local Government Ombudsman rejected complaints submitted by residents.

Mr Bullen characterised the ombudsman’s decision as compounding an already difficult situation, asserting that the local authority generated the problem and that the expenditure exists solely because statutory enforcement was not carried out.

The responsibility for finishing the development now appears likely to rest with the community itself.

The cost of surfacing roads and pedestrian paths is estimated at close to £100,000.

Households have commenced crowdfunding efforts, with £2,500 gathered to date.

Concern is mounting among residents as the wetter season approaches again, and several families report being unable to sell their properties due to diminished market values.

One resident who chose not to be identified stated that ordinary families purchased homes in good faith expecting roads to be completed, yet have been left to meet the costs themselves.

A spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council acknowledged the anger experienced by residents following the developer’s collapse.

The council stated that it had met its legal obligations by issuing an advance payments code notice on the development.

According to the authority, at the relevant time the developer was actively pursuing a private street agreement with the council, which represents the conventional method for addressing such matters and would have negated the need for the advance payments code.

The council explained that it continued collaborating with the developer through this process until the company’s financial situation halted further advancement.

A private street agreement constitutes a legally binding arrangement between a property developer and a local council establishing standards for constructing, approving, or administering a road that will not become publicly maintained.

The council emphasised that Linden Gardens was always intended to remain under private ownership and would not be adopted as a public highway.

Responsibility for private roads, the authority clarified, lies with the landowner and whatever management framework is established for the development, rather than with the highway authority.

Consequently, the council maintains that the site falls outside its maintenance obligations.