Provision
Nursery group wins contract for third setting
A Scottish nursery chain is set to open its third setting in a business park next year.
The new Enchanted Forest Nursery under construction at Riverside Business Park in Greenock
Enchanted Forest Nursery, which has settings in Erskine, Renfrewshire and Thornliebank in Glasgow, and manages a training company called Childcare Training Solutions, was successful in its bid to run the nursery at Riverside Business Park in Greenock, Invercylde.
The £1m purpose-built setting will offer 64 places for full daycare for children from six months to five years old, and provide 21 jobs, when it opens in February 2011.
Enchanted Forest Nursery managing director Mariessa Devlin said, 'The nursery is in an ideal location off a main commuter road and, unlike traditional business parks, Riverside is landscaped and surrounded by green space.'
Two years ago Ms Devlin approached the regeneration company behind the business park about building a nursery.
She said, 'We contacted Riverside Inverclyde to ask if they had any land or a building suitable for a nursery, after realising there was a lack of good quality provision for under-threes in the area.
'We had several meetings with the regeneration company, who gave us a blank canvas in which to create a purpose-built nursery within the business park.'
The building is designed to let in maximum sunlight and will include underfloor heating.
Ms Devlin said that because the project is funded by public money, Riverside Inverclyde had to put the nursery out to tender. Twelve other nurseries applied to run the setting as well.
Enchanted Forest will lease the setting from Riverside Invercylde with the option to buy the property from the company within the next five years.
Ms Devlin said she had been inundated with applications from people interested in working at the setting and has already appointed an existing member of staff as a deputy manager after advertising the position internally.
