A second full-size 3G pitch is planned on the Huntsman Lane school campus, with six 15m floodlight masts and 24 parking spaces. The council decides by January.

A second full-size 3G football pitch, with floodlights, is planned for the school campus on Huntsman Lane, Maidstone. The Valley Invicta Academies Trust has applied to Maidstone Borough Council to build it in the grounds of Invicta Grammar School (application 26/503558/FULL, Mid Kent planning register).

The trust runs three schools on the campus: Invicta Grammar, Valley Park and the School of Science and Technology Maidstone. All three would use the pitch. The application says it would serve more than 3,000 students.

What is planned

The plans and drawings include:

  • a full-size 3G pitch built to Football Association standard
  • six LED floodlight masts, each 15 metres tall
  • fencing 5 metres high, finished in dark green
  • 24 new parking spaces cut into a bank, with a retaining wall
  • step-free access paths and a ramp

The application site covers about 11,100 square metres (application form; proposed elevations).

The architects’ design statement gives the number of new spaces as 28. The application form records an amendment to 24, and 24 is the figure on the register and on the site plan revised on 8 October.

Why the trust wants it

The campus already has one 3G pitch, built in 2014. The design statement says it is “heavily used” by the schools and by clubs through a lettings programme, and that “demand now exceeds capacity” (design and access statement).

The new pitch would go on playing fields east of the campus, next to the existing one. The statement describes that grass as uneven, with “limited usability for formal sport”.

The statement also lists the pitch as “enabling development for the Valley Park School Classroom Block project”. It does not explain the link further.

Floodlights and neighbours

The campus has homes to the west and south, and playing fields to the east. The design statement says the nearest homes are screened by school buildings and trees.

It says the floodlights would:

  • point downwards, with no upward light
  • switch off automatically outside permitted hours
  • meet the Institution of Lighting Professionals’ guidance on obtrusive light

The application does not say what hours the pitch or the lights would be used. The form lists the opening hours as “unknown”.

Who has commented so far

By 17 October the register held one public comment, in support. It says the pitch “will provide good opportunities for young people to engage with sports”.

Kent Police’s designing-out-crime officer has asked for CCTV and gates on the parking area, to stop misuse out of hours. The officer also asked for lockable gates on the pitch and for goals to be stored securely (Kent Police response, 15 October 2026).

What happens next

  • The register expects the application to be decided by officers rather than the Planning Committee.
  • It is due to be advertised in the press on 22 October. That notice runs to 12 November.
  • The council’s target date for a decision is 8 January 2027.

What it means for you

If you live near the campus, the floodlight hours are the thing to watch. You can comment on the application on the planning register, quoting 26/503558/FULL. For how commenting works, see our guide to Maidstone planning applications.

If you run a club, the trust already lets its existing pitch to community groups, and the application says the new one would add to that.