Plans to expand and refurbish Tolworth Girls’ School and build 106 new homes on its former playing field have been submitted to Kingston Council.

The scheme, subject to a huge public consultation in January this year, could see new classrooms, arts facilities and a floodlit multi-use sports pitch.

Headteacher Siobhan Lowe said the plans were “crucial” to respond to the borough’s school place crisis.

She said: “We need a major capital investment in our school facilities and infrastructure to maintain the high quality teaching and learning environment which our students deserve.

“We urgently need to make these improvements and expand to meet demand for more school places in the future.

“To help finance this, we have decided to dispose of the land to the north-east of the school for the development of new homes.”

The new homes would be built on the school’s “unusable” extra land, she added.

Kingston Council leader Kevin Davis raised concerns about heavy traffic from new residents, combined with increased use of the Tolworth Hospital site following planned redevelopment.

He added that no affordable housing was included in the plans.

Developer Gleeson will demolish temporary buildings – in continuous use since the 1970s – to make way for the new facilities, including expanded English and music departments, a lecture theatre and new entrances.

Ageing buildings dating from the 1940s will be refurbished.

Cabinet member for schools, Councillor Andrea Craig, said: “If every development thought about school places, then our job would be a lot easier.

“I welcome the expansion plans that they have – we need more school places.”