FEARS for youngsters’ safety are mounting after a schoolboy was knocked down outside Winchester’s first ‘super school’.

Work at The Westgate School should have been finished by early last month, but was delayed when a protected species of bats were found on site.

Now residents and councillors say they are concerned that delays to building additional car parking spaces is making the area unsafe for pedestrians.

A schoolboy was knocked over by a car in Cheriton Road after school last Friday.

In a letter to parents, headteacher Paul Nicholson said: “Fortunately the emergency services were quickly on hand along with a number of qualified parents. I am pleased to inform you that the pupil concerned is now safe and well and has returned to school.

“I would like to ask you all to remind your son or daughter the importance of being aware of traffic at all times.

“Pupils often exit the school site talking to their friends or listening to their iPods, and can be distracted. We all know that this is incredibly dangerous.

“The matter is also made worse by the amount of traffic outside school at the end of each day. I would ask parents and carers who are picking their children up to kindly park away from the main entrance to the school.”

There has been much dispute about whether Hampshire County Council, which is building the school, has breached planning conditions by delaying the building of parking spaces.

A nearby resident, who asked not to be named, said: “There has been a big increase in traffic which we have to walk through. The school is attracting parents from much further afield and the parking bays have not been built to cater for them.”

Once finished the school will be a 420-place two-form primary school, on the same site as the existing secondary school.

Sixty reception pupils have already started, based in temporary accommodation on site.

City councillor Martin Tod said the parking spaces delay is a “disgrace”. “I think it’s really bad faith,” he said.

“It just feels like a weasely thing to do. It may not be the final school buildings, but the traffic was starting on the first day of term, so the measures to deal with the extra traffic should also be available from the first day of term.

“I am very concerned that there has been a road accident and I will ask council officers what they can do immediately to improve the safety of the area.”

At the full county council meeting last month, Cllr Tod asked Cllr Peter Edgar, executive member for education, if he would apologise to residents for the traffic problems.

Cllr Edgar said: “I certainly won’t apologise for anything of this nature. Any project can be subject to delays of this sort.

“The Chilbolton Avenue side has been monitored and so far there have not been any problems observed, or to our knowledge complained about.

“We will do everything that we can to make sure that those works are in place as soon as possible.”

Executive member for economy transport and environment, Cllr Seán Woodward, said: “I am very pleased to hear that the pupil involved in an accident outside Westgate School has made a full recovery. Hampshire County Council has a very close relationship with Westgate School in supporting the education of pupils about road safety through our Street Sense programme, with a visit only taking place last week.

“However, as part of the planning consent for the new facilities, a number of road safety improvements will be provided in the area, including the trial introduction of a School Crossing Patrol and extra parking spaces.

“Site work will start on the extra spaces from October 26, along with the necessary measures needed to accomodate the School Crossing Patrol trial. The works will be complete before the new school facilities are open. In the meantime we will continue to work closely with Westgate School to support them on road safety.”