To no know how to help 7 year old with independence

[notnow2]

A bit of a thread about a thread, but DS is 7.5, we live in London and have moved 3 miles from his school and most of his friends and we live on main road. Like the other thread i cannot let him go to school by himself or walk home as it is a bus journey away (maybe he will have to take bus by himself!) it is a roughish area so he can't really go to shops by himself, is far from friends so can't call for them. When we go in days out to the park etc I let him roam quite free. I give him money to go to ask cream kiosk etc
Am I holding him back?

Ofcourse not.
Could he join cubs they do lots of fun things and learn skills

I don't personally think any seven year old should be walking themselves home from school, so YANBU.

If he was 17.5 I would def say you are holding him back but 7.5 no way!

No, you're fine. My ds is the same age and has only just started to go to the shop by himself - it's 100m away, no road to cross and we live rurally.