Safer routes to an Ascot school will be in place after cabinet members agreed to adopt plans for improved safety measures around its surrounding roads.

A group of students from Charters School asked the authority to look at investing in improvements to Dry Arch Road and Devenish Road when they were invited to speak at a meeting in September.

Staff and parents have been calling for improvements be made to the safety of the roads for years and the plans were finally agreed at a meeting on Thursday, December 16.

The package of improvements will see a footbridge built in Devenish Road and traffic light signals installed accompanied by a pedestrian route near the rail bridge in Dry Arch Road.

“We were delighted to see the way students engaged with us when we hosted our cabinet meeting at Charters earlier this year,” said Cllr Phill Bicknell, cabinet member for highways and transport.

“As the single largest school in the borough, with more than 2,000 staff and students travelling back and forth each day, anything we can to do improve access will benefit the wider community.”

He added: “I hope these changes will encourage more people to travel to school by foot, reducing congestion on the roads and increasing the amount of exercise people get.”

Sixth form student Hannah Heitplatz (pictured), who helped present the ideas to the Royal Borough four months ago, was delighted with the news.

“A safer route will have so many benefits in the future and many of those who currently feel apprehensive walking to school may now take it up because of the planned improvements.

“It's exciting to hear that, after concerns were being expressed at the cabinet meeting held at the school, a safer route is going to be established.”

A spokesman from the Royal Borough said he anticipated the improvements should be in place by 2018/19.