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A new secondary school catering for more than 1,100 students is set to open on a huge housing estate in two years’ time.
Work on the site, which will form a key part of the 5,750-home Chilmington Green project in Ashford, is due to start in the spring.
To be built by contractor Bowmer + Kirkland on behalf of the Department for Education, the facility will welcome 900 students aged 11 to 16 and 240 sixth-formers.
Outline planning permission has already been secured for the project, which will be called the Chilmington Green Secondary School.
Bosses are yet to submit a detailed planning application but are currently asking residents for their views on the scheme.
Ashford Borough Council’s deputy leader Cllr Paul Bartlett (Con) says there is “no doubt” the new school is needed.
“If we don’t have it, Kent County Council will be in deep trouble in delivering on its legal obligation to provide enough educational spaces,” he said.
“As well as Chilmington Green, it will support Finberry and other developments like Court Lodge and Kingsnorth Green.
“There will be a huge future demand for education spaces in Ashford town so we have to have that secondary school.”
Bosses say the new school will be part of the United Learning Trust and “will support KCC in meeting forecast demand for secondary places and reduce travel time for students”.
When it opens in September 2023, four forms of Year 7 students will be the first to use the facility, which will be built next to the A28 and feature a main building of three storeys in height.
A sports centre will include a four-court sports hall and fitness/exercise studio, with two junior grass football pitches and a running track included in the outdoor facilities.
Chiefs say there is insufficient funding for an all-weather sports pitch, but “work is being undertaken to ensure that playing fields are usable all year round”.
The school – which will be accessed via Chilmington Green Road – will include 113 parking spaces and 170 cycle bays.
On a website set up to allow residents to have their say on the plan, a map shows a park and ride on the other side of the A28 opposite the school.
But Cllr Bartlett says the facility is “as likely as the park and ride at John Lewis” – a project earmarked for land next to Ashford’s former homeware store that never materialised.
As part of the Chilmington estate, a section of Chart Road between the tank and Matalan roundabouts is to become a dual carriageway to cope with the increase in traffic, but the scheme has been delayed until at least 2022.
For more information on the school bid, click here
