Parents anger at plans for store next to school

Fears for children's safety outside Robert Sandilands School months after pub car park ban

THE row over parking outside Robert Sandilands School has intensified this week after the owners of the pub opposite put in an application to build a new convenience store.

Angry parents, who are still upset at being told they can no longer use the car park of The Starting Gate pub to pick up and drop off their children, have reacted furiously to the plans.

Many believe that the proposals for the new shop – submitted by Punch Taverns – would increase traffic flow around the school, make parking more difficult and have a negative impact on the local shop.

Harriet Lamb, who has three children at Robert Sandilands, said: “Recently The Starting Gate has stopped parents from the school using the car park. This has already caused a number of near misses of children getting hit by cars.

“The idea of putting a shop there is as good as saying they are willing to risk children’s lives in a place where they are most vulnerable.

“Until the local authority sorts the parking out there should be no consideration at all of building this store.”

A petition to stop the convenience store being built has been signed by more than 320 people in a week.

Resident and parent of schoolchildren Heidi Smith, who set up the petition, said: “One of my children was knocked down on the way to school and now, although it’s only just down the road, I won’t let them walk to school on their own anymore.

“The parking is already bad and the roads are being used as rat runs – the traffic would be awful if a shop was built there.”

For years, parents have used the car park of The Starting Gate to pick up and drop off their children. However, earlier this month, Punch Taverns warned that non-pub customers would be fined £50 for parking there.

As a result of the ban, many side roads around the school, including Brummell Road, Burchell Road and Digby Road, have become clogged up with cars.

Punch Taverns defended the move, saying it is not insured for non-customer use of the car park and that allowing parents to park would be in breach of its lease with West Berkshire Council.

In a formal objection to the plans for a shop, resident Tim Colby said: “Should there be a real and pressing need to develop this land then the best use for it would be to extend Robert Sandilands School.”

He added: “Earlier this year, the applicants chose to stop allowing parents of children at Robert Sandilands to use the car park to drop off their children. This has caused significant disruption to the local roads and has unfortunately led to the first child being knocked down by a vehicle.”

A spokesman for Punch Taverns said: “It is worth pointing out that the use of the car park by school parents has affected the pub business negatively on occasions, with pub patrons unable to use the car park at certain times of the year.”

It added that while it appreciated the concerns of parents, it also had a duty of care to its customers. The council has agreed, in principle, to sell the freehold of the site to Punch Taverns.