If you think living on a private estate means you have exclusive use of the amenity land, think again! You will actually be paying for the upkeep of land which is privately owned, but open to the general public to use and abuse. You will still pay full council tax. Before the private estate model for new builds became common place, these areas were adopted by the council after completion, but now they will never be adopted through agreements between the developers and the council. So if you live near a public park or on an older estate, you will not pay extra for your proximity to green open space. New build home owners on “private” estates are unwittingly paying for the back door privatisation of public open space.
