FEARS for children’s safety in Yate have been raised by residents and councillors who are worried the crossing to a play area undergoing a £148,000 refurbishment is dangerous.


The refurbishment of the Witches Hat play area, on Westerleigh Road, comes after Yate councillors raised the funds to give the public space a makeover.


While many have celebrated the refurbishment, which will also introduce skate-boarding facilities to the area, concerns have been raised about the safety of the children who will cross the road from Rodborough to get access.


Yate Town Council has worked with Dodington Parish Council to come up with ideas to improve road safety.


Wendy Mayo, Dodington Parish Council clerk, said: “Many Dodington Parish Councillors are very concerned about pedestrian and child safety when crossing the road.


“Following a meeting with a South Gloucestershire Council Highways engineer, Dodington Parish Council’s planning committee will discuss plans, which have been supported by Yate Town Council, to install a ‘children crossing’ warning sign as well as the word ‘slow’ on the approach to the crossing from the roundabout.”


Dodington Cllr Chris Zapata said: “It takes a car just three seconds to reach the crossing area from Rodborough roundabout giving children a very short time to make a decision on whether to cross or not and drivers little chance to slow down for pedestrians crossing the road.”


The refurbishment of the play area was suggested after the council commissioned a youth survey in 2013 and discovered that one of the strong desires which emerged from the young people involved was for additional wheels play facilities, including skate boarding, BMX and scooters in South Yate.


A South Gloucestershire Council spokesman said: “Our engineers have been looking at potential options to improve safety for people crossing in to the Witches Hat play area.


“A plan which includes the addition of a suggested warning sign and road marking was sent to Dodington Parish Council at the end of March for discussion at their next parish meeting.”


Work began on the play area on March 16 and whole play area has now closed for approximately four weeks for the refurbishment to be carried out.