MEASURES have been put in place to ensure parents picking their children up from a Kidderminster school don’t create chaos on nearby roads ahead of a looming car park closure.
For many years, the Co-Op on Franche Road has allowed parents to use the store’s car park to drop off and collect children at Franche Community School.
However, the Co-Op is set to close on July 5 and will be demolished for a new Lidl, which will not be set to open until 2027.
It is estimated that around 900 pupils arrive and leave every school day, along with 185 staff requiring parking on and around the school premises.
This creates big problems in traffic movement and parking along Chestnut Grove, where the school is based, as well as Witton Avenue and Mouse Lane.
Although Lidl has announced it will once again offer support to the school when it opens, in the short term, the car park will be lost, leading to fears traffic near the school will dramatically increase.
Residents living on the impacted roads have made claims that cars already park on double yellow lines, outside the school gate and blocking their driveways.
In September, new enforcement will apply to the Grove, especially around the school gates, meaning that drivers who ignore parking and stopping restrictions will be liable to fines.
There will shortly be a visual presence from the enforcement team and local policing to advise on alternative places to drop off children.
A new crossing is also planned for Franche Road, which will provide a safe crossing point to and from nearby schools.
Coun Anthony Upton has called for parents dropping off and collecting children from Franche Community School to be considerate and respectful to local residents.
He said: “Over the past twelve months I have held meetings with Mrs Elizabeth Dixon, the Headteacher at Franche School, local residents, Wyre Forest District Council enforcement team, the Highways liaison officer from the county council and others to try and find ways we can take school traffic off the Grove.
“I am hopeful that going forward we can change the mindset of parents and promote walking.
“There are still other options being explored, which hopefully will help in reducing the problem around the school.
“The prime concern is and always has been for the safety of the children, at the same time fully understanding the frustration of the residents around the school.
“Hopefully this will help residents see that everything possible is being done to mitigate this situation”.
