THE residents of one Basingstoke estate which has been left in the dark claim they have been forgotten.

Planning permission to begin large-scale development in Rooksdown was granted in 1997, but 11 years later, some of the developed roads in the area are still without street lighting, even though the homes have been there for years.

Jayne Lewis-Grey, a Rooksdown parish councillor and vice-chairman of the Rooksdown Community Association, said even in areas where there were lights, she had found 30 of them were in disrepair.

She said Hampshire County Council had still not adopted some roads where houses were built seven years ago.

Cllr Lewis-Grey said: “The council has said it will fix the lights on the adopted parts, but the other parts are down to the builders and, because we’ve had so many different builders, it’s a nightmare trying to get anyone to do anything – they all wash their hands of it.

“When I walk across parts of the estate it’s pitch dark. We are just getting ignored. The residents have paid for their houses, they have paid their rent, they have paid their taxes, they just want their lights.”

Hampshire county councillor Stephen Reid said he and Basingstoke and Deane borough councillor Karen Cherrett, who represent the area, were at “the end of their tether” in their attempts to have more roads adopted.

Cllr Reid said: “There’s been a completely unacceptable delay in getting roads adopted in Rooksdown.”

Cllr Mel Kendal, Hampshire’s executive member for environment, said the council only adopted roads with infrastructure, including street lighting, complete to its specifications.

He said the problems in Rooksdown include the power supply for street lights and drains running under private land.

“We are also unhappy with the length of time it has taken to complete these roads,” Cllr Kendal added.

He said they were working with site developer Taylor Wimpey Homes to resolve the problems.

Cllr Kendal suggested new house buyers check whether a road is adopted before buying and, if not, seek guarantees before completing the purchase.

A statement by Taylor Wimpey read: “We are aware of residents’ concerns and confirm that we are in discussions with the local authority to ensure the roads are adopted as soon as is practicable.”