Major expansions at three over-subscribed schools will be debated at a council meeting after parents expressed concerns over their impact on traffic.

Wilmington Safer Streets (WSS) has been campaigning for Kent County Council to reconsider an increase in the number of pupils at Wilmington Academy, Wilmington Grammar School for Girls (WGSG) and Asquith Day Nursery and Pre-School.

All three are served by Common Lane, a narrow road packed with cars and buses on a daily basis as pupils are dropped off and picked up.

WGSG and Asquith had approval for expansion and the academy was also earmarked for a larger intake, but the plans will now go before KCC’s planning committee on September 14.

The four women behind WSS – Stacey Brown, Amy-Jane Horton, Ali DeBuc and Jenny Wright — issued a statement to say they hoped the group would be given a voice at the meeting.

“The community of Wilmington has had a direct impact on proceedings and we feel this is a triumph in our ‘David and Goliath’ campaign,” they said.

“WSS are not against school expansions, we understand the shortage of school places, but Wilmington is unique.

“It has three large secondary schools, a village primary and a nursery, with one narrow lane as access in one small rural village. Some logic needs to be applied in these situations and situations going forward.

“These expansions are ill thought out, the transport solutions offer little solace to residents, the village suffers and the safety of our children is put at risk.”

“These expansions are ill thought out, the transport solutions offer little solace to residents, the village suffers and the safety of our children is put at risk” Wilmington Safer Streets

A KCC spokesman confirmed the plans had been delayed as a result of the campaign.

They said: “The planning committee is looking into the pedestrian access, managing traffic and if there is any scope for improving the road.”

Road safety in Common Lane has been a huge concern for parents for many years but the issue has snowballed in recent months.

Last month an angry father called on KCC to take action after his daughter was hit by a bus while waiting on the pavement at 3.50pm on October 1 last year. A bus driver has since been found guilty of careless driving.

The head teacher of nearby Wilmington Grammar School for Boys also expressed his concerns over the safety of pupils in Common Lane shortly before the school broke up for the summer holiday.

Andy Williamson said: “We support the WSS campaign and have been in discussions alongside the other schools with Kent Highways to investigate any possible solutions.

“For our part, we are reconfiguring our playground space to create an extra 10 parking spaces to remove some of the cars that park opposite the school. The problem seems to be that there is no obvious affordable alternative.

“I see the best solution as constructing an off-road bus drop-off point at the top of Common Lane and developing safer paths into the three schools.

“On a greater scale, we need to look at countries like the Netherlands and Denmark where cycling routes are excellent and most students use them.”