RESIDENTS living near Haydon Wick Primary School are being encouraged to give their feedback on proposals for a school safety zone.

The plans, which have been designed to take into account issues raised during consultation with the school community, include new signage, zig-zag road markings, a paved crossing point and several other changes.

The improvements are centred around The Brow, High Street and Blunsdon Road areas, covering both school entrances. Work is set to start next April.

Councillors in Haydon Wick are now urging residents in the area to comment on the proposals before the end of the month.

Coun David Renard, (Con, Haydon Wick), said: “The safety of the children has to be our priority and I think most people will agree that we need to do something.

“It’s never going to be a perfect situation, because we have got a school that has been there for many, many years and it is now surrounded by a lot of residential properties. We must come up with a solution that is not only good for the school, but also for the residents who will have to live with it 24/7.

“It is something we have been pushing for for some time now but it was put on hold for a while when we had the Thames Water flood alleviation done in the area.

“We have now managed to come up with a scheme that certainly the school is pleased about, but it isn’t set in stone – it is out for consultation and we would welcome any feedback from residents in the area.”

Coun Renard said the school has had an agreement with the nearby Fox and Hounds for some time, which allows parents to park their cars in the pub car park and walk their children to school from there, but some parents are continuing to park illegally in the area.

“A full review was recently done on all schools in the area to measure the levels of risk around each school, and Haydon Wick has come out in the top 10 so we are pleased to have secured a safety zone,” he said.

Coun Rex Barnett, (Con, Haydon Wick) said: “It is going to be a great scheme, all we need to do is get everybody in the area on board and it should solve the majority of our problems around there.

“The problem is there are two entrances to that school, one down The Brow and one around the corner so parents are using both entrances which is making it a bit difficult for the children.

“Hopefully this new scheme will encourage the parents to not park where they shouldn’t be and ultimately make it a safer environment for the kids.

“It’s not just a problem in Swindon, this is happening everywhere.”

Coun Claire Ellis, (Con, Haydon Wick) said: “We would urge all residents who live near the school to respond to the consultation so that all views can be taken into account before a final scheme is agreed.”

To comment on the proposals, contact school travel adviser Jane Deeley on 01793 466335 or email jdeeley@swindon.gov.uk.