Heswall's St Peter's school - neighbours up in arms about parking

Hundreds of neighbours have reportedly complained about parking near Heswall's St Peter's school..

St Peter's C Of E Aided Primary School sits in the middle of the town on Thurstaton Road. Heswall councillor Andrew Hodson said people living nearby were worried about parents parking on pavements, obstructing driveways, and parking on side streets.

Cllr Hodson said the issue was particularly bad on Delavor Road. He added: "This has been a long time problem and it is a major concern to local residents.

"I've requested council highways officers to review the situation and come up with a plan which should alleviate the problem not only to prevent obstructive bad parking in the surrounding area to the school, but also ensure pupils arriving at school safely."

Bruce Patterson, 59, on Delavor Road said that it has become a "nightmare". He said: "You know my wife actually make a concerted effort to not go out or come in that time."

Mr Patterson has lived there for five years and says the issue is getting worse, particularly in the winter when people use their cars to drop the kids off.

St Peter's Primary School said it was doing its "very best to remind parents on a regular basis that, if they need to use their vehicle, they should park in a manner that respects other road users and our neighbours" and parking at peak times was an issue for schools across the country.

Darren Jones, Headteacher of St. Peter's Primary School, Heswall, said: "Like many primary schools, we are situated at the heart of the local community. 

"In addition to the regular reminders in emails and newsletters, we have a banner along the boundary of the school encouraging people to drive safely and responsibly around the school. These are part of the awareness campaigns that we have undertaken with the support of the council's road safety team to try to address this issue. 

"Ultimately, however, parking problems can only be managed effectively in areas where there are legal restrictions in place. We have 'keep clear' road markings outside our school and we have asked the council, with the aid of the camera car, to help us to enforce these restrictions whenever possible.

"Beyond that, we will continue to work with the school community to remind people of the need to park in a responsible and respectful way to minimise disruption to local residents and other road users."

Andrew Hodson said over 200 residents had complained to him about the issue. Picture: Liverpool Echo.

Cllr Hodson said that some residents had raised concerns it was making it difficult for emergency vehicles to move in the area but the ambulance service said there had been no reports of this. 

A North West Ambulance Service spokesperson said, "We have not received any concerns from our staff regarding access to the area around the school as a result of inappropriately parked vehicles.

"However, we urge motorists to think twice about where they park their cars as blocking roads could have severe consequences for them, their families or other people should they require an emergency services response."