A councillor fears planners could find themselves guilty of “corporate manslaughter” if they don’t take action to improve the safety of a busy village road serving four oversubscribed schools.

That is the warning from Kent County Council councillor Ann Allen (Con) after almost 700 people signed a petition demanding changes be made to Common Lane in Wilmington before permission is granted for three of the schools to expand.

Campaign group Wilmington Safer Streets (WSS) has been fighting against planned expansions to Wilmington Academy, Wilmington Grammar School for Girls (WGSG) and Asquith Day Nursery and Pre-School because they are all served by the same narrow road, which is inundated with vehicles twice a day during the school run.

It is so bad, vehicles have to mount the pavement at times, putting motorists and pedestrians – many of them schoolchildren – at risk.

Earlier this year a bus driver, 57-year-old Malcolm Andrew Lewis, of Bury St Edmund’s, Suffolk, was found guilty of careless driving after a girl was knocked down by his vehicle, and Cllr Allen is fearful this could happen here.

“Everybody wants good schools and people live here because we have them, but this is now the responsibility of everybody – from parents who park irresponsibly to members of the planning committee,” she said.

“This is our home and for 42 weeks of the year, two times a day, this has a serious impact on the quality of people’s lives.

“We and the schools have got to work together to come up with a travel plan, otherwise we could be guilty of corporate manslaughter because we would be agreeing to a situation we know has become untenable.”

Cllr Allen, who represents Wilmington on KCC, met with Dartford MP Gareth Johnson last week to discuss the issue, and has used her KCC membership fund to pay for a new pedestrian crossing at Wilmington Primary School, one of the four schools served by Common Lane.

WSS is grateful for her support, but wants further safety measures to be introduced before any permanent expansions are considered.

The group is calling for the speed limit in Common Lane to be reduced from 30mph to 20, for ‘slow’ signs to be painted on the road, specified parking zones for parents, new signage to indicate to motorists that they are entering an area housing four schools, better policing of buses mounting the pavement, and the introduction of a weight restriction to prevent lorries from using the road.

The group’s petition states: “We want to protect our children before more expansion and not after.

“We and the schools have got to work together to come up with a travel plan, otherwise we could be guilty of corporate manslaughter because we would be agreeing to a situation we know has become untenable" Cllr Ann Allen

“This petition calls on KCC to recognise these unsafe practices now.

“The village is already buckling under the strain of school traffic and buses and further intake cannot be allowed without the above safety measures addressed.

“We have more than 3,200 children already in direct danger every day.

“The community wants to prevent a tragedy before it’s too late.

“WSS launched the petition after members attended a KCC planning meeting earlier this month, where permission was granted for temporary expansions to Wilmington Academy and WGSG.

The temporary expansions come in the form of portable cabins to create additional classroom space, on the condition that a footpath at the top of Common Lane is widened and an internal walkway is created linking the academy to a resurfaced public right of way in Tredegar Road, ensuring safer passage in and out of the school.

Despite the conditions being put in place, Stacey Brown, one of those spearheading WSS, said the group remained concerned.

“We feel we have been left with no option and we have launched a petition,” she explained.

“We spoke at the planning meeting on behalf of the community and we didn’t feel that the mitigation offered was enough to deal with the horrendous traffic and congestion.”

Former Wilmington Grammar School for Boys head teacher Andy Williamson, made arrangements for increased on-site parking at the school before his retirement this summer.

One of the bus operators to use Common Lane is Arriva and representatives from the firm met with WSS earlier this year, after which the firm’s school services were re-routed to run in just one direction along Common Lane.

Permanent expansions to the Wilmington Academy, Asquith Day Nursery and Pre-School and WGSG are expected to be decided at a planning meeting in November.

You can find the WSS petition by heading to change.org and searching for ‘Common Lane’.