Plans for a new secondary school in Ashford with more than 1,100 places have been submitted – but objectors fear the increased pressure on traffic "will put children's lives at risk".

Chilmington Green Secondary School will form a key part of the 5,750-home Chilmington Green housing estate off the A28.

Four forms of Year 7 pupils will be the first to use the facility if approved which will feature a main building of three storeys in height.

It will be built by contractor Bowmer + Kirkland on behalf of the Department for Education and will welcome 900 students aged 11 to 16, and 240 sixth-formers when it reaches full capacity in 2031.

A sports centre will include a four-court sports hall and fitness studio, with two junior grass football pitches and a running track.

But before it opens in September 2023, access to Chilmington Green Road from the A28 Ashford Road will be closed to traffic permanently.

The point of the closure is to ensure cars instead access the secondary school from the east, via a new internal road network in a bid to reduce congestion.

While the school will provide much-needed spaces for pupils in the borough, some feel the added strain on the road network could have devastating impacts.

Objector Ian Wolverson says this situation is "little short of horrifying", adding: "At present, queues westbound in the morning along Chilmington Green Road, to turn right on to the A28, go back past the proposed school entrance/exit – at exactly the same time the drop-off times proposed here are due to take place.

"The small plus may be that the queue might result in a slowing of traffic, but the suggested volumes will generate utter chaos.

"There are just too many children's lives being put at risk."

Mark Madsen echoed those worries, saying: "I am concerned in regard to the level of traffic both on the A28 going into Ashford but more importantly, on the historic village of Great Chart.

"We are already blighted by school traffic passing each way through the effectively one lane village road in the 8am to 9am school rush hour but then also from around 3pm onwards as the school breaks up.

"This is in addition to the drivers who use the village as a cut through to try and avoid the queues on the A28 leading down to the Matalan roundabout.

"A school with its associated traffic situated so close will simply increase the entire traffic flow and block the village totally."

The school, which is proposed to be Net Zero Carbon (NZC), is expected to employ about 120 full-time equivalent teaching staff.

Commenting on the plans, Kent County Council raised issues with the number of parking spaces.

It said: "The proposed car parking provision of 113 spaces plus six disabled spaces appears to be significantly less than the required parking standards.

"The required parking standards for a secondary school are one space per staff plus 10% together with one space per seven sixth-form students.

"The transport assessment states that 120 staff will be employed so this would equate to the requirement of 132 spaces alone without taking into account the number of sixth form pupils."

However it later adds: "In this instance, and given that all staff are unlikely to attend the site at the same time, it is given that there is more than sufficient provision to meet prospective demand."

In a planning statement, Bowmer + Kirkland says "there are no existing safety issues that are likely to be exacerbated by the proposed development".

"This is especially considering the wider infrastructure improvements that are due to take place prior to the opening of the school to students," it added.

"The site is also well located to serve the needs of the future community being close to the district centre and adjacent to frequent public transport services and new pedestrian and cycle routes."

Earlier this year, the new Chilmington Green Primary School in Mock Lane became embroiled in a row over "hazardous" access to the site.