An oversubscribed secondary school has revised its bid for a major expansion to add a new car park to alleviate traffic trouble.

Meopham School submitted a planning application earlier this year to erect a new two-storey building to cater for hundreds of new pupils based at the existing site in Wrotham Road.

The non-selective academy's existing facilities were built to accommodate just under 800 pupils but as of September the school already has 936 pupils.

For the past four years it has taken on an additional 30 pupils per year at the request of the education authority, Kent County Council, following population growth in Gravesend and the surrounding areas.

During the latest September intake, Meopham School increased its intake by double that number, taking it from 140 to 200.

To address capacity issues a planning bid was brought forward in March for a two-form entry expansion on a disused area of the site to provide new teaching and learning spaces, as well as a music classroom, drama and dance studio and a main hall.

But the plan was later withdrawn in response to a number of concerns raised over the impact on the local road network.

Now revised proposals have been put forward to include a new dedicated car park with a drop-off and pick-up area that the school says will "significantly reduce" the impact of the proposal on the local highway.

Due to the academy's rural location, many of its students travel to and from the site by car.

However, parking on the shared site is currently very limited with access issues for buses and those in the community wishing to use the public library, medical centre, nursery and leisure suite.

The new drop-off and pick-up facility will provide space for parents to park on-site, away from Wrotham Road and the local streets.

It has been designed with a "fast-track" drop-off lane for use in the mornings, and standard parking bays to allow parents to park up and wait at the end of the school day.

The internal road layout will also be upgraded to improve the circulation of traffic and on entry the carriageway will be widened to two lanes with new signage and road markings.

A new bus-only zone is also proposed to enable buses to pass to and from the site without disruption to other vehicles.

The proposed new building designs have not changed and Meopham School has since launched a public consultation page to seek views on the car park plans ahead of resubmission.

In a statement, head teacher Kate Girling said: "The planned expansion includes an additional car park and drop-off/collection bay on site.

"This means that students can safely arrive and be collected from school without having to negotiate the busy main road.

"This may also have the benefit of reducing congestion in the village as we will be able, for the first time, to encourage parents to come on site to drop off or collect their children."

On the wider need to the expansion, Ms Girling added: "We are very proud of the success Meopham School has had over the past few years and feel strongly that we want to offer all those in the local area the opportunity to attend Meopham School if they choose.

"We aspire to further embed ourselves in the heart of the community, and feel that the building expansion will have a positive impact for students, parents and the community as a whole."

Meopham has been run by the Swale Academies Trust since 2013 and opened a £14 million building in 2018.

It has become a popular choice for parents and has a track record of securing strong exam results.

During its most recent inspection in January 2019 the school was rated as "outstanding" by Ofsted and was recognised as the highest performing non-selective school in Kent for the fourth year running.

Click here to view the online questionnaire or here to find out more about the project. The deadline for comments is midday on Friday, December 17.