Nursery World - Planning leads to a dead end street

Further to the news story 'Council fails in planning inquiry' (7 August), as a local resident and one of the complainants I want to stress that we are not 'anti-nursery'. This is simply the wrong location for a day nursery for 32 children - a view supported by our MP, the chief executive of Warrington Borough Council, and various members of the early years team. However, there is a problem with the planning system in certain areas.

However, there is a problem with the planning system in certain areas.

There is no national guidance on the siting of nurseries in the form of a Planning Policy Guidance Note and besides, this would be of limited use, since what is suitable in a city centre may not be suitable in a rural area.

Some authorities have produced local guidance in the form of Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG), which forms part of the local development plan.

This would be of benefit in protecting neighbours and helpful to those wishing to set up nurseries. As Rosemary Murphy of the National Day Nurseries Association points out, the present system is problematic for nurseries, and clarification would assist everyone.

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