A time limit should be set for new roads to be "adopted" by Colchester Council, councillors said.
Gerard Oxford, independent councillor for High Woods, said some roads on the estate - completed as long as four years ago - have still not been adopted by the council.
Roads are adopted when developers officially hand ownership over to the borough, making it responsible for maintenance and cleaning.
Mr Oxford warned the same situation was either happening or would be happening elsewhere in the borough with town regeneration, including new developments at the Hythe and Mile End.
He and his wife Beverley, also an independent High Woods councillor, have now called for a time limit of 18 months to be imposed by planners between the completion of individual roads and the formal handing over to the council
A council spokesman said: "Once roads are complete, there is normally a two-year maintenance period, where any hidden defects come to light and are dealt with.
"We are always working hard to make sure this process is carried out as efficiently and as quickly as possible."
Published Monday January 19, 2004
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