Fifteen acres of farmland will be sold to the government to allow for the construction of a 1,500 pupil secondary school.

The Dartford Messenger reported last month how a huge area of land known as Stone Lodge, once owned by the now demolished Stone House Hospital, had been earmarked for the school, a housing development and a new home for Dartford Valley Rugby Club (DVRFC).

At a cabinet meeting last night (Thursday), Dartford councillors agreed that around one fifth of the land should be sold so that the eight-form school can be built.

Dartford council leader Cllr Jeremy Kite (Con) said: “I get a lot of stick over the amount of development that goes on in Dartford, but so much of it is out of our control.

“I hope that when we do have land that’s under our control, we are making the right decisions for the community.

“We are foregoing what would have been a larger profit if the site had been sold for housing. Education provision at Stone is desperately needed.”

Council documents state that the demand for the school is fuelled by an ever-increasing population in the area, with new housing developments across the borough.

“We are foregoing what would have been a larger profit if the site had been sold for housing. Education provision at Stone is desperately needed" Cllr Jeremy Kite

Last month's Messenger report revealed that the school is proposed to host 1,200 pupils aged between 11 and 16, with another 360 pupils for post-16 study.

It is not yet known whether planning permission would need to be granted by Dartford council or by Kent County Council (KCC), but some of the buildings would be up to three storeys in height, with all access via London Road, which is part of the A226.

Cllr Kite hopes the school would co-exist perfectly with DVRFC’s new home, concept for which was presented to club officials last week.

DVRFU were promised a new ground and clubhouse during the Conservatives’ 2015 council election campaign, with more than £1 million pledged to find them a new home in the borough.

Stone Lodge would provide the club with two pitches and a clubhouse across five hectares. One of the pitches would be an all-weather pitch. Two hundred homes could also be built at the site, with the remaining space to be spared for recreational use.