Campus Busy Bees nursery applies to move to stay open
A West Midlands nursery threatened with closure might be saved if planning officers accept its application to move to a nearby office block.
Busy Bees Nursery at Sutton Coldfield College campus in Great Barr has been informed that its lease, which is due to expire this summer, will not be renewed, as the college has plans to redevelop the site (news, 15 April).
The nursery was originally given until September to find a new home, but this was later cut to the end of August.
The proposal by Busy Bees to convert the first floor of Blakelands House, an office block less than half a mile from the present site, into a nursery is being reviewed by Birmingham City Council. The council will have to decide whether the building is suitable to be used for childcare.
Under Busy Bees' plans, the office space on the first floor of the building will be renovated to include a kitchen and training area. There are also plans to adapt the building's car park to become an outdoor play area.
Keelie Leahy, Busy Bees regional director, said, 'The new site is only a short walk away from the present site, so the disruption to the parents and children would be minimal, and the opportunity to move into what would be a facility especially designed around the children's needs would be fantastic.'
Busy Bees said that its staff had viewed other sites in the area but found no buildings that were appropriate, until a local businessman offered the use of the office block.
If the proposals are rejected by the council, the nursery will be forced to close, leaving 35 members of staff without jobs and around 100 children without nursery places.
A decision on the proposals is expected after the close of a council consultation on Monday (8 June).
