KINGSTON borough will get two brand-new primary school buildings next year as the Council seeks to meet a forecast rise in demand for school places.

Burlington junior school, a Council-run school in New Malden, will gain a new school block allowing it to expand from 4-forms per year to 5-forms - an increase in capacity from 480 to 600 pupils.

In Surbiton, a new two-form entry academy is set to be constructed, providing places for 420 children aged between 5 and 11 years old.

The buildings are both expected to be completed by 2023, though Burlington school will only start accepting the new form from 2026.

Money for the expansion of Burlington school comes from Kingston Council capital funding of £13.1 million pounds - this also went towards remedial work on the current school building, which dates back to the 1960s and will be demolished once the new one is open.

A sports hall and two Multi-Use Games Areas (MUGAs) are also set to be constructed, with the sports hall also expected to be available for New Malden community use outside of school hours.

The new Surbiton Primary Academy will be run by the Omnia Learning Trust (formerly GEMS Learning Trust).

It is being built on the former King Charles Centre on Hollyfield Road, a site that was sold by the Council to the Education and Skills Funding Agency in 2019 for the development of a new school.

Plans for the Academy building received 15 objections from locals on a range of concerns, including impact on parking on the road and the building's design.

However, Council design and highway officers stated that the plans were acceptable with amendments to the design and mitigation such as Temporary Waiting Restrictions to manage the etra traffic - concluding that on balance the benefits of providing school places outweighed the adverse impacts.

Both planning applications were approved at a Place Committee meeting last month (9 February).

Kingston children's services provider Achieving for Children (AfC) supported both applications as the as it forecasts soaring demand for places in both areas due to the number of existing and proposed developments including Kingston East and King George's Gate.

Last year, 36 children in Surbiton and Tolworth post-codes missed out on a place at any of the eight local schools and two could not be offered a place anywhere.

Following news of the accepted proposals, Kingston MP Ed Davey told constituents: "Central Government restrictions on how a local authority can plan and provide new schools have made all this very difficult, so I'd like to pay a special tribute to everyone working hard to make this key investment in local schools happen – from people in Kingston Council, to the schools' trusts, to local residents who have been so supportive."

On the new Surbiton school, he added: "There has been a huge amount of local consultation for this project.

"The result is a zero carbon building, with high design standards, right next to wonderful green spaces - from Fishponds park to Alexandra Park and the Millenium Green.

"It will be an inspiring environment for children to learn and play."

Councillor Diane White, Portfolio Holder for Children's Services including Education said: "This is excellent news for our children and underlines our commitment to providing the highest quality education across our borough.

"The plans to transform Burlington Junior School will significantly enhance the teaching and learning environment of this highly popular and successful community school and provide new facilities which will be of lasting benefit for many generations of children to come."