RESIDENTS surrounding Skinners' Kent Academy, in Tunbridge Wells, were left with more questions than answers after a public meeting into the proposed £24m new build next year.

Neighbours to the academy, just off Blackhurst Lane, turned out in force on Wednesday to hear Kent County Council's plans for the current site.

But the main worry for the majority was how the already "treacherous" roads around the new academy, where it is planned to educate 1,150 students by 2015, will cope with increased traffic.

The residents said the junction with Pembury Road was already an "absolute nightmare" and an "accident was waiting to happen" with the current pupil roll of just 320.

John Piper, of Sandown Close, said: "It will put a tremendous strain on the already hazardous exit on to the Pembury Road from Blackhurst Lane, where daily we all put our lives at risk.

"The extra pupils and their parents, additional teachers and support staff, will all add serious additional traffic problems to an already overstretched and dangerous road junction."

The county council's academies project manager Jane Blenkinsop and architect Maria Nesdale said the location of the academy had been agreed for the existing site after looking at several across Tunbridge Wells and stressed that design plans had yet to be drawn up.

It is proposed the current site will house the new building with two separate playing fields – one across Sandown Park and the other over Pembury Road – housing a sports centre and pitches.

As well as the traffic problem, residents were worried Blackhurst Lane and Sandown Park would become a "parking lot", worse than at present where cars park nose-to-nose down both roads at school open and close times.

The county council's transport manager Alan Ash said the roads would be looked at as a priority and in the short-term double yellow lines in the surrounding roads could be an option "straight away".

"We need to look at the solution, funding and the time scale to implement work," he said.

It was also promised traffic measures "would be put into the planning conditions" when an application was lodged to construct the new building.

The academy's principal Sian Carr added: "If we can get anything out of this new development we have to address these points. Parking and the movement of traffic in and around the academy is obviously a big issue."