A CHILDREN’S nursery that breached its planning conditions by having 40% more children than allowed has been granted formal permission to expand.
Little Puddleducks in Siston Court, near Pucklechurch, had its retrospective application approved by councillors despite objections from nearly all the local residents and the council conservation officer.
The site, a Grade II*-listed building next to an avenue of trees in the grounds of Grade I-listed Siston Court, was given consent by planning officers to become a nursery for 33 youngsters in 2017 but has taken 46 for several years, the development management committee was told.
South Gloucestershire Council launched enforcement action against the planning breach, so the nursery applied for permission to allow it to continue to have 46 children and increase the number of parking spaces, despite damage to tree roots that have become entangled in a mesh designed to stop the ground being churned up.
Resident Dominic Trotman-Dickenson told the committee the application would cause the “destruction of the historic environment”.
He said: “The parents all arrive between 8.30am and 9am through a single access gate. It is chaos.”
Little Puddleducks managing director Sacha Hallard said: “Our drop-off service is efficient – parents spend on average three minutes dropping off and collecting their children. Children arrive at staggered times from 8am to 9.30am, and evening pick-up is from 4pm to 6pm.
“If permission is not granted, this setting will not be viable to continue to provide an early-years service to the community.
“This will leave 102 local families without childcare and 22 members of staff without financial security and stable employment.
A report to the committee said the main issue for councillors to consider was whether the extra 13 children would cause “harm to the significance of the assets affected”, regardless of the planning breach.
By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service