ANXIOUS residents fear that a new school entrance could reduce their street to chaos.

Almost 100 people attended a public meeting on Wednesday to object to Pocklington School's plans to create a new entrance in Barmby Road.

The entrance would serve the private feeder school, Lyndhurst School. The senior school would continue to use the main entrance in West Green. Bursar Simon Fogden told the meeting, which was chaired by Coun Hilary Saynor in Burnby Hall, that about 60 cars would use Barmby Road to access the school in peak times.

The new entrance, which will lead to a car park and dropping-off point, would create a safer place to drop off the junior school pupils, aged seven to 11.

He said: "There is congestion in West Green when children are being delivered to and collected from the school."

He added that it was hoped the plans would spread out the traffic during peak times.

But residents felt that the proposal would create congestion in Barmby Road, which is already one of the busiest in the town, making it more polluted and less safe for their children. Martin Cooper, who lives opposite the proposed entrance, said: "Sixty to 70 more cars will lead to gridlock."

Geoff Shepherd said: "I am worried about the safety of our children if there are 60 extra cars on the road. The congestion is bad already and this would put our children at risk."

There were also concerns that parents dropping their children at Lyndhurst might stop to let them out on the road rather than pulling into the entrance. But the school insisted that parents would want to come as close to the school as possible when bringing their children to school. A decision will be made in May.

Updated: 08:52 Saturday, March 22, 2003