Plans to build a 1,200 pupil school alongside two existing secondary schools have been approved by the government.

Last year plans were submitted on behalf of Valley Invicta Academies Trust (VIAT) to build School of Science and Technology Maidstone off New Cut Road, on a site currently occupied by Invicta Grammar School and Valley Park School.

The school was originally expected to open this month, but delays in a decision coming forward meant VIAT had hoped to open the school in September 2019.

Maidstone Borough Council officers had recommended the application be approved, but the day before councillors were due to to decide, applicant BAM Construction made an appeal.

The move took the decision out of MBC's hands and into the Ministry for Communities, Housing and Local Government's (MCHLG).

A public inquiry held in May heard concerns were raised over the potential impact a new school would have on local traffic and parking.

There were also calls to protect surrounding wildlife and trees, which will be felled to make way for the school.

Today the MCHLG published a report giving approval to the new, three-storey school.

It reads: "The secretary of state (James Brokenshire) considers that the loss of trees would cause harm to the area’s character and appearance, and that this harm attracts moderate weight against the proposal.

"He nevertheless considers that the need for the new school attracts significant weight in favour of the proposals, and that the proposed development’s accordance with the development plan is not outweighed by other material considerations."

Having already delayed its opening by a year, the trust has now pushed the school's opening back until September 2020.

Co-CEO of VIAT and principal of Valley Park School, Vic Ashdown, said: "We have worked tirelessly and in good faith throughout the process to develop a school that will provide genuine excitement to those parents in our community who are rightly concerned about the lack of secondary school places available.

"Our only sadness is the time taken to get to this point. The original announcement that our bid had been successful was made shortly before the 2015 general election.

"We were ultimately left with no choice but to request a public enquiry as Maidstone Borough Council had repeatedly failed to make a decision and were imposing a number of conditions that we viewed as unreasonable, particularly the potential payment of over a half a million pounds to develop local transport links."

Councillor Clive English, chairman of Maidstone Borough Council's planning commitee, said: "The approval of the application was never in doubt, a fact we made clear throughout the application process.

"It was most unfortunate that the applicant chose to file an appeal against non-determination rather than wait for a decision from the Planning Committee - members indicated that they would have approved the development had they been given the opportunity.

"The long delay in the opening of the school could have been avoided."