St James’s School – Wellesley Road, School Safety Measures

Overview

Following a previous consultation in 2025, the School Street outside St James's Catholic Primary School has been made permanent.

The Council is now consulting on two separate proposals aimed at improving safety and reducing congestion around the school:

1. Road safety enhancements outside the school entrance on Wellesley Road.
2. A trial expansion of School Street restrictions on nearby roads.

You can support either proposal independently, and your feedback on each will be considered separately.

Together, the two proposals aim to enhance safety and create a more pleasant environment for pupils, parents, residents and other road users around St James's School. While the road safety enhancements focus on the school entrance itself, the proposed School Street measures would help manage traffic on nearby roads during school drop-off and pick-up times.

Background

In 2025, a School Street was introduced on Stanley Road to create a safer and more pleasant environment outside St James's School.

While a School Street is not proposed for the school entrance on Wellesley Road, the Council is looking at other ways to enhance safety and make the area more pedestrian-friendly.

The current crossing point outside the school no longer meets modern design standards and its location is not ideal for people crossing the road. Parking associated with school drop-off and pick-up times can also make the area feel congested and reduce visibility for pedestrians.

The proposed measures would:

• Create a wider pavement outside the school entrance
• Provide a larger crossing area

• Introduce camera-enforced parking restrictions outside the school from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday

Together, these changes aim to create a safer and more pleasant environment for pupils, parents and other road users.

Road Safety Enhancements

The Council is proposing changes outside the main school entrance to create a safer environment for pupils, parents and other road users.

The current raised crossing area no longer meets current standards. Due to the limited space available between nearby driveways, it is not possible to install a formal crossing such as a zebra crossing.

The proposed enhancements include:

• Removing the existing raised crossing area 
• Introduction of a larger raised area, with a coloured surface.
• Introducing a camera controlled no parking zone during school pick-up and drop-off times. 
• The parking restrictions would operate Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, excluding public and bank holidays, August and 25–31 December. Outside these times, parking would be permitted where space allows.
• Relocation of existing parking to the opposite side of road, resulting in no overall loss of parking spaces. 
• Pavement widening to create an enhanced pedestrian area in the front of the school entrance.   
• Installing low-level planters to improve the street environment and guide pedestrians towards suitable crossing points.
• Narrowing the road at the junction of Shaftesbury Way to prevent vehicles from using the area for U-turns and improve pedestrian safety.
• Replacing the existing speed cushions and traffic island with a cycle-friendly speed hump.

You can view a map of the proposed safety measures here.

Trial School Street measures

Alongside the road safety improvements, the Council is also seeking views on introducing signage only School Street restrictions on:

• Shaftesbury Way
• Wellesley Crescent (including Preston Close)

The aim is to reduce traffic, enhance road safety and address any parking or congestion issues that may arise in surrounding roads.

Under the proposal, motor vehicles would not be permitted to enter these roads during school opening and closing times unless they are:

• Residents living within the School Street area
• Blue Badge holders
• Essential visitors
• Emergency vehicles

The proposed operating hours would be Monday to Friday, 8am to 9am and 2pm to 4pm, during school term time only. 

The proposed School Street restrictions would be introduced as a trial should it proceed. Feedback received during both this consultation and a potential trial period would help inform a future decision on whether the scheme should be made permanent, amended or removed.

You can view a map of the proposed school street trial here.

If you have questions about how the proposed School Street arrangements would operate around St James's Catholic Primary School, please read the St James's School Street FAQs.

Have your say

The Council is keen to hear the views of local residents, the school community and businesses. Feedback can be submitted via the 'Online survey' link below. 

If you require a paper copy of the survey or a different language/format, please contact trafficschemes@richmond.gov.uk or schoolstreets@richmond.gov.uk with ‘Wellesley School Safety Measures' in the subject line.  

What happens next

The consultation closes on the 11th of December 2026. After the consultation has ended, the Council will review all feedback and discuss this with local ward councillors and the school.

The Council may decide to implement all, some, or none of the proposals. If approved, the road safety improvements would be introduced permanently, while the School Street measures would be introduced as a trial.

Traffic monitoring would be carried out before implementation and again after six months. The results, together with feedback received during the trial, would be reported to the Transport and Air Quality Committee (TAQ), which would decide whether the School Street measures should be amended, made permanent or removed.

More information about this school street can be found on this webpage.