Plans for a new school to accommodate children living at a still-expanding housing development have been delayed.

More than 500 new homes have so-far been built at Shorncliffe Heights in Cheriton, Folkestone, and it had been expected a primary school with year groups of around 60 pupils would have been needed.

However, despite more than 600 additional homes still to come, Kent County Council (KCC) education chiefs say there are more than enough surplus places at other local schools to meet demand.

They now expect any new primary built as part of the Taylor Wimpey housing scheme will not be required until the second half of the decade.

Land at the recreation ground at the junction of Royal Military Avenue and North Road - opposite the controversial Napier Barracks asylum accommodation - had been earmarked for the school.

One Shorncliffe Heights resident said: “The houses have been going up at great speed over the past few years - but people have been wondering when work was going to start on the school. The estate is really popular with families so it’s surprising that, with 500 new homes already built, the new primary isn’t needed yet.

“I hope the plans for the school don’t end up just being dropped - as that’s not how the scheme was originally sold to people living in Cheriton.”

Management of school places in the town is organised by the Folkestone East and West planning groups.

The latest KCC commissioning plan for education states: “Forecasts suggest that there will be significant surplus places across both planning groups throughout the plan period.

"Therefore, the new 2FE [two-form entry] primary school at Shorncliffe Heights (Folkestone West) will not be required until the latter half of the decade.

“In the interim, we will work with both maintained schools and academy trusts to manage the high levels of surplus places.”

The document notes that a falling birth rate means some parts of the Folkestone and Hythe District will see up to a quarter of their reception class capacity unfilled.

Redevelopment of the ex-MOD land, once Shorncliffe Garrison, will take a number of years and see around 1,200 homes built in all.

Some parts of the land, such as the Stadium in Church Road, have been completed and occupants of new homes have moved in.

Other parts, such as Napier Barracks, will be transformed in the coming years.

The development has not been without opposition over the years, with campaigners criticising the loss of buildings, including some used during the First World War when the site was an important military base.

Heritage charity The Shorncliffe Trust has ambitions to set up a heritage and education centre on the site.