Nursery groups convert office space into settings
Katy Morton
Thursday, November 11, 2021
N Family Club and The Heatons Pre-school Group have both acquired former offices to repurpose as nurseries.
N Family Club has converted an 8,000 sqft grade-II listed property in Tunbridge Wells from office space into a nursery. This is the group’s 17th setting and its first in Kent.
The new nursery, which opened this week, has a large garden, dedicated art studio and children’s kitchen, a parent breakfast bar and has air purification technology installed.
Nursery manager Charlotte Nash said, ‘I’m so excited to be launching this fabulous new nursery. I’m thrilled to be welcoming the children and families into such an imaginative and considered space.’
N Family Club chief executive Phil Sunderland added, ‘We’re so pleased to be entering the thriving community of Tunbridge Wells and restoring this beautiful period building back to its former glory.’
The Heatons Preschool Group has also bought a former office building in Stockport, Greater Manchester, which it will repurpose as a nursery.
The two-storey detached building is the group’s third setting.
The Heatons PreSchool Group was established by Marie Feeley in 2018.
She said, ‘Our first nursery, on Didsbury Road, was a grand period property and we converted that building, from scratch. This building reminded us of that.
‘The building has been very well maintained so the primary focus for us is to equip it with fantastic resources in three dedicated spaces for babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers. We will be investing in creating a completely new outdoor area that will be exciting and stimulating for children of all ages.’
'We have a number of buyers who are seeking out these types of opportunities'
Sofia Beck, associate director at Christie & Co, who handled the sale, said, ‘Due to the many benefits which come with setting up a nursery organically, we have a number of buyers who are seeking out these types of opportunities which are rare to come by in such popular locations. One of the key attractions for a nursery buyer looking at this property, aesthetics aside, was that there was no requirement for a change of use to the building.
‘Last year’s Use Classes Order changes mean that day nurseries and offices share the same use class, along with retail shops, restaurants, financial/professional services, leisure facilities etc.’
