This chapter of the Park's history is not intended to fully document the road maintenance but rather to give an insight into its history by highlighting certain periods up to the early 1990s.

But first to understand the background and extent of the roadway along with its changes over the years -

The practice for many decades has been for housing estate developers to establish an estate roadway acceptable to the Council for adoption. Back in the 1850s with Upton Park this was not the case. The covenant obliged each property builder to establish the roadway along their road frontage to the midpoint of the road. The cost of maintaining the whole estate roadway including the link roads was then covenanted to be shared between all plot owners. The standard to which the roadway should be maintained has been a point of Association debate through its history but has improved through the years even though rather erratically.

The roadway is much as intended in the early mid-1850s plan but the cul-de-sac for plots 2 - 7 that was never instigated. Before the Dickson Drive estate was built in the 1950s there was a track through to Dickson's nurseries. At times this access caused concern to Park proprietors and in 1939 posts were proposed to stop vehicular thoroughfare. Since the absorbtion of plots 2 - 7 into the Dickson estate; all that remains is a small triangle of land made up as a simple border of shrubbery.
The post-WW2 housing boom produced development proposals around the Park boundary which incorporated additional access roads into the Park. However, the Park stayed in tact as housing developments and playing fields surrounded it.
Another past gateway off the Park was owned by the Army between the late 1920s and early 1960s and gave access to their property in the Dorin Court area. Park account's record an Army annual contribution of £1 - some 60% of the smallest property contribution - in 1960. As houses in the Park were built it has always been their duty to reinstate the roadway to at least the state before development commenced.

The roadway has remained private and maintained by the Park proprietors throughout its history despite consideration on several past occasions to pursue adoption by the Council. In 1947 the Council estimated a cost of £12,000 to instate a roadway to a standard that could be adopted. This ended once and for all any idea of seeking council adoption.

some historical records of Upton Park road maintenance
• early days establishing a road surface
• 1935 - 1937
• 1938 - late 1950's
• late 1950's to early 1990's under Ken Starkie's guidance
• record of schedule of actions
• the evolving maintenance costs .not for the book

AND FINALLY AN ASIDE...not for the book..

Road speed humps have been debated over the years - a saga in itself