A WINCHESTER councillor has a plan to tackle the clash between residents and parents taking their children to school on a new estate.

The Chronicle reported on trouble between people unhappy about parents parking in residents' parking area because of congestion outside Barton Farm Primary Academy. Parents have been blocked in, nails placed under car tyres and been subjected to aggressive behaviour.

Local city councillor Jackie Porter said: "None of us wants bad feeling between parents and residents, and certainly I don't want children to face aggressive adults or bad language on their way to school."

READ MORE HERE: Residents' anger over parents parking at Kings Barton school

She said in recent days she has spoken to the school heads and chairman of governors and Cala Homes which is building the new Kings Barton estate.

Her ideas are a 'buddy' scheme where a parent who is a resident acts as ‘host’ for 20 minutes for a parent coming from further away in a car; more use of a breakfast club for an earlier drop-off; more use of parking spaces in Fishwicke Road, a legitimate visitor spaces only a few minutes from the school.

Cala has said it will open a foot and buggy path from Fishwicke Road available direct to school in the new year, but will try to get it open at Christmas.

Cala has said it will mark the private parking spaces to make it clearer where parents can park.

READ ALSO: Latest on diversion plans for Andover Road through Kings Barton estate

Cllr Porter said: "I am encouraging to school to make sure parents understand the School Travel Plan. It was a requirement for Barton Farm school to have one in place within a year after opening.

"I will  continue to work with the school on this as we know the population of the school will change over the years."

In the long term the problem will disappears as a neighbourhood centre is set to be built which will include a public car park close to the school.

Cllr Porter said: "As I said at the Kings Barton Forum, this was expected to be a short term problem, but the short term isn't so short in the life of a child and parent. Cala understands that too.

"I am hoping that we can build back the relationship between the residents and visitors.  Kings Barton is now truly part of Winchester, and as more visitors arrive, we can see that it isn't exclusively for Kings Barton residents!  But the quicker that Cala can finish the centre of the development and the road through, the better!"

One parent, Karen Rowlandson said: "I totally agree that private parking should be labelled ASAP so that parents know where they can park. I feel that this would have alleviated some of the tension from the start, but still does not excuse some residents choosing violence.

"The buddy system sounds good on paper, but is a bit more nebulous in practice. It assumes all those living on the estate have extra parking, which is sadly not the case. It's also hard to coordinate who uses those spaces. The school are not able to hold a list to match people. A couple of people have offered I believe, I'm not sure if they have been taken up. It is a puzzle piece in a larger solution.

"Jackie's idea of people paying £8 a morning for the before school club to ease parking was quickly squashed by parents last week I believe."

Meanwhile, the new long-awaited bus service linking the estate with the city centre launched this month.

Service KB1 runs from Kings Barton into Winchester, stopping at Winchester Rail station, The Broadway, and all stops along the route.  The service will cost £1.30 - £2.00 for each single journey and children under five years go free.