A controversial Cinderford housing scheme has been given the go-ahead despite fears “higgledy-piggledy” parking by parents picking up kids from a Gloucestershire school will block the residents from leaving their homes.

Forest of Dean District Council approved plans to build seven homes with parking spaces at the site of the former St Whites Primary School at Buckshaft Road in Cinderford.

The new housing estate is to be made up of a mixture of detached and semi-detached three bed houses. But several councillors called for the proposals to be deferred and raised concerns over traffic problems near the site.

Councillor Julia Gooch (The Progressive Independents, Newent & Taynton) put forward a motion for the planning committee to defer the scheme to see what the final conditions Gloucestershire Highways would suggest for the site.

She said: “We owe that to the residents of Buckshaft Road and Cinderford.”

Cllr Lynn Sterry (The Progressive Independents, Cinderford West) agreed and said some people drive “like lunatics” on the school run.

She said: “There should be a yellow box hatching outside the access to stop them parking. We are going to need a little more than yellow lines and zig-zags.”

Chairman David Wheeler (Green, Newland & Sling) said he had some sympathy with the motion because the main issue facing the proposals was the highway.

He said the parish council chairman was also quite vociferous about the problem of parents dropping off children at the nearby school and blocking access to the homes.

He said: “Parents will block the access to the development because they park higgledy-piggledy all over the place. Highways concerns are certainly quite a big issue.”

Planning officers said the highways authority did not have any objections and they have anticipated the conditions they would apply.

The vote to defer the proposals was lost by six votes against to three in favour with two abstention.

A subsequent move to approve the scheme was approved by six votes to two with three abstentions.