A ban on parents parking up outside the gates of a Newcastle school at pick-up and drop-off times will be made permanent, after being deemed a success by council bosses.

The ‘School Street’ experiment launched at Chillingham Road Primary, in Heaton, last year is set to stay in force, in an ongoing effort to make the area safer and less polluted for children.

Since January 2023, the streets around the school have been made into a pedestrian and cycle zone from 8am to 9.30am and 2.30 to 4pm on weekdays.

The aim has been to encourage parents not to use their car on the school run, in an area where pollution and pavement parking has been a source of major concern.

School pupils carrying placards and teddy bears previously staged a protest in 2020 to try and stop vehicles idling outside the gates or endangering children by mounting the kerb.

A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said: “The School Streets scheme at Chillingham Road Primary School, in Heaton, will be made permanent following a successful trial.

"The trial has seen road closures outside the school, on Tenth Avenue, Ninth Avenue and their back lanes, during times when pupils arrive on a morning and leave for home on an afternoon.

“The aim is to reduce traffic, improve road safety and cut pollution in the area around the school gates.

"During a public consultation on the trial measures, many people, including families and residents, said they supported the scheme and would like to see it become permanent.

"No objections to the scheme were received.”

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Residents, school staff, blue badge holders and the emergency services are exempt from the School Street restrictions.

Chillingham Road Primary is the third site in the city where the measures are being made permanent  – following nearby Hotspur Primary and Grange First School, in Gosforth.

Another trial has also been held at Ravenswood Primary, also in Heaton