Hatchell Wood Primary Academy: Road safety concerns as council fails to hire warden to monitor school crossing

During the planning committee meeting on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, councillors asked for improvements to a crossing on Bawtry Road near Hatchell Wood Primary Academy.

The application, submitted by the City of Doncaster Council itself, will erect a single-storey extension to the school with six classrooms and a nursery facility.

Comments from residents offered concerns surrounding road safety as the area gets busy around school times.

Officers in the committee meeting said there was an existing pedestrian crossing on Bawtry Road and it had hoped to hire a traffic warden to assist with the safe passage over the road, but it had so far been unsuccessful.

Councillor Iris Beech asked the committee if it would be possible to have a button-operated crossing, in lieu of a traffic warden to ensure “there is some safety for the young people”.

Officers said additional crossing facilities were not a “requirement” of the application, which focussed on the school building itself.

This prompted a stern response from councillors on the committee.

Cllr Steve Cox asked: “Have we got to wait until a child gets knocked over before we can do anything?”

“You could say that about any crossing on any road,” officers responded, “No, we don’t just wait.

“There has been a need for a [traffic warden] crossing and, unfortunately, nobody has applied for the job, or can’t.”

It was said if councillor Cox and other committee members “insisted” on a crossing being provided it would cost the authority £150,000, but the committee was told the planning application “does not require it”.

Councillor Cox said: “We have a duty of care to the children as an authority… a ‘need’ has been shown because there is a need for somebody – a traffic warden, lollipop person – to be there, but we can’t get anybody.”

The committee were told they could approve the application with an “informative” which was non-binding but “strongly encourages” the applicants (the council) looks into improving the pedestrian crossings nearby.

Committee members unanimously approved the application, which will also see a “new vehicular access/collection point” created, additional parking spaces and 11 new trees and a landscaped area.