Plans to expand a secondary school to meet the growing demand for places have been recommended for approval.
The construction of a new two-storey teaching block will allow Northfleet Technology College (NTC) to accommodate an extra 200 students.
If approved, the new building will see two general teaching classrooms, two catering training classrooms, two engineering workshops, one zonal teaching area, and one dining hall created.
The scheme also includes an expansion to its wellbeing garden, solar panels on the roof, hard and soft landscaping and plans for a new road for servicing and deliveries.
It is due to be discussed by Kent County Council’s planning committee on Wednesday (July 9), where council officers have recommended it be given the go-ahead.
Their report states that due to the growing number of homes in the area, the school in Colyer Road, Northfleet, is under pressure to increase its intake of pupils each year.
It also explained that it is government policy that the development of state-funded schools is “strongly in the national interest” and there should be a “presumption in favour” of it.
Officers added: “In my view, it would deliver necessary community infrastructure to meet growth in the locality and address community needs.”
KCC has a legal duty to ensure sufficient school places are available and, according to its education commissioning plan, there will be a shortfall in Year 7 places in the next five years.
To meet the needs, the school, which is part of the Northfleet Schools Co-operative Trust, temporarily offered 189 spots in 2023 and 2024 instead of 164.
It is now looking to make the change permanent, which will see a new Year 7 class created, eventually increasing the number of students across the site to 1,120.
The construction of a new teaching block will allow the school to accommodate an extra 200 students across eight teaching spaces and extend its dining hall facilities to seat 132 pupils.
According to the plans, put forward by applicant Kier Construction, working on behalf of KCC, NTC will also hire 15 more teachers, bringing the total number of staff members to 135.
One letter of objection was received from a nearby resident who raised concerns over increased traffic and anti-social behaviour due to more students attending the school.
However, officers dismissed their fears, stating that a travel plan had been submitted which suggested that the additional staff and pupil numbers would not cause an “overriding detrimental impact” on the highway.
Their report added: “Parking and congestion issues at the school start and finish times on local roads are not uncommon, and it is considered that these are of short duration and need to be balanced against the need for additional school places in this part of Gravesham.
“I consider that the existing parking arrangements are sufficient, and the educational need and the provision of additional teaching space to suitably accommodate the increase in pupils at the school would outweigh these concerns.
“It is my view that the development would be acceptable, would not give rise to any severe, significant or demonstrable harm that would be overriding as far as highways, environmental, amenity and ecological aspects are concerned.”
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Last year, permission was granted to erect two temporary structures with four classrooms on the school’s field to accommodate the growing pupil numbers already on the site.
However, this latest application looks to provide a permanent solution to address the need.
NTC was rebuilt in 2010 as part of the then-government’s Building Schools for the Future programme and includes open teaching spaces and combined classrooms for zonal teaching.
