Bosses at a Kent grammar school say they remain "optimistic" over plans to create new outdoor sports pitches on green belt land.

The new facilities are proposed for a large playing field near the A25 Seal Hollow Road in Sevenoaks.

They would be for the use of several schools, including Weald of Kent Grammar, Trinity School and a satellite of Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys.

They share the application site, the former home of Wildernesse School and Knole Academy, just over a mile from Sevenoaks town centre.

Plans include all-weather floodlit pitches for rugby and football and two multi-use games areas (MUGAs) for netball, basketball and tennis.

Kent County Council's (KCC) planning committee backed the scheme during a meeting at County Hall, Maidstone, yesterday.

A final decision will be made by Secretary of State for Local Government, Michael Gove, over the next 28 days due to the land's green belt status.

If approved, works on the sports facilities will likely start from March 2022.

A Tunbridge Wells school spokesman said: "We are optimistic The Right Hon Michael Gove will decide planning permission can be granted.

"The proposed outdoor sports facilities will allow students from all three schools based at the site, as well as the community, to access first-class sports facilities, try new activities and develop their expertise in competitive sports."

Seal Parish Council opposed the loss of green belt land, which acts as a buffer between towns and the countryside.

It wants to protect the field near Seal Drive from overdevelopment.

Malling West county councillor Harry Rayner (Con), whose division is home to pupils attending the school, welcomed the proposal.

He said: "I think it is well-sited and I do not have the concerns that some of the objectors have about the way the site is accessed."

The panel of councillors was told pitches will be marked out for a range of sports, including athletics and cricket, with some let out for community use.

There has been a drive to "vastly improve" sporting facilities at the schools.

It comes amid a continual expansion of the schools, leading to more students being brought to Sevenoaks from other parts of the county.

When at full capacity, Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys will cater for 450 pupils in Sevenoaks - 13 miles from the main school in St John's Road.

There are currently 90 Year 7 pupils on the satellite site.

No objections were raised by technical consultees, such as KCC highways, Sevenoaks District Council and Sports England.

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