Neighbours have joined forces to campaign against plans to build a school on allotments in Chislehurst.

The land, in Bull Lane, has been earmarked as a potential relocation site for an expanded Chislehurst St Nicholas CE Primary School.

Public records show proposals to move the school, which is currently located in School Road, date back to 2009.

Residents and allotment holders fear losing a valued green space and suffering traffic chaos on the nearby roads if the plans go ahead.

Bromley Council said relocating and expanding the school has been considered for some time but no firm plans are in place.

Lillian Owens lives opposite the allotments in Hollybrake Close.

The 98-year-old fears traffic caused by a school built on the allotments would stop her from getting in and out of her home and easily crossing the roads.

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Lillian Owens with Josie Soul, 7, and Charlotte, 4

She told News Shopper: “We have had no information about this whatsoever. I found out from one of the neighbours. I’m worried I’m going to be hemmed in.”

Allotment holder Sarah Harvey, of Manor Park Road, has helped to set up Bull Lane Action Group to protect the land.

The 52-year-old said: “Bull Lane is incredibly narrow. It already becomes terribly congested due to Farringtons School.

“We’re not against the school. If it needs to expand, we understand that, but not on the allotment site.”

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Ms Harvey said fellow allotment holders had to trawl through stacks of public documents for more details.

She said: “We have managed to dig out all the documents. We wanted to bring it into the public domain. “None of the residents seemed to know.”

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Kaia Arthurs, 10, and Tate, 5, 

A document, dating back to July 2009, said: “While there are clearly difficult planning obstacles to overcome, planners informally believed that it might be possible to make a sufficiently strong case to justify the development in Bull Lane, which is designated as urban open space.”

A further report produced in April last year said the council is interested in expanding the school to two-form entry.

Bull Lane Action Group is asking anyone who is concerned about the plans to write to ward councillors.

A council spokesman said: “Present pupil place planning data indicates that we need two additional forms of entry in Chislehurst and Mottingham by the end of this decade.

“Relocation and expansion of Chislehurst St Nicholas CE Primary School has been considered for some time, but no firm plans are in place.”

The council said feasibility work is being carried out involving outline design work and discussions about replacing the allotments if the development goes ahead.

If the development is considered possible, a consultation period for residents and interested parties to air their views would follow before the normal planning procedure.