Reading will get its first ever School Street, after plans were approved for the road closure scheme last night.

The very first School Street will be on Downing Road and Lambourne Close, outside Park Lane Primary (Junior School) in Tilehurst.

The scheme allows closures of roads to traffic outside schools for up to 45 minutes twice a day during term time.

READ MORE: Reading’s first School Street – your questions answered on road closures

At Park Lane Primary, this closure will take place from 8.30am to 9am and 2.55pm to 3.35pm.

Residents will be able to come and go, and deliveries, taxi pick ups and drop offs and other visits to homes will be allowed.

Councillors praised the introduction of Reading’s first ever School Street and approved the scheme unanimously at Wednesday evening’s Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport (SEPT) committee.

Earlier this year, Reading Borough Council (RBC) invited schools and colleges across the borough to apply to create a School Street outside their buildings.

While the council has talked to several schools about potentially implementing a School Street, Park Lane Primary is the only school to have formally applied, despite being assessed by the council as being one of the 17 schools in the town which would get the least benefits from the scheme.

The scheme will initially run for six months, after which councillors will vote again on whether to continue with the School Street, based on how successful it is.

Park Lane Primary carried out an informal consultation with affected properties, and no objections were received, enabling the plans to reach this stage. Cllr Page said “overwhelming” support came in for the School Street from as far North Carolina and Scotland as well as locally.

Two other School Street proposals are currently in the works.

Maiden Erlegh School in Reading, UTC, and Alfred Sutton Primary School are developing a joint proposal and currently carrying out an informal consultation with affected properties and parents/carers on the proposal to implement a School Street on Crescent Road, between Wokingham Road and Bulmershe Road.

READ MORE: Reading schools ranked by suitability for road closures at peak times

Cllr Page said this School Street proposal had been “more controversial”.

Additionally, Wilson Primary School is currently carrying out an informal consultation with affected properties and parents/carers on its proposal to implement a School Street on Wilson Road.