Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Nursery could be new child centre
A DILAPIDATED nursery is set to be reborn as a modern childcare centre u nder pla ns to t ra nsfer its ownership to a charity organisation.
Flexible Childcare Services Scotland (FCSS) has ambitious plans for the former Fintry Nursery on Fintry Road, which closed well over a decade ago.
FCSS – a service provider spun-off from the charity One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS) – has applied for a community asset transfer for the building.
If successful, ownership of the building will be handed over from Dundee City Council and reimagined as a childcare centre for children of all ages.
At present, FCSS runs flexible childcare services out of the OPFS building in nearby Grampian Gardens – but Susan McGhee, chief executive of FCSS, has plans for the “beautiful” site going beyond childcare.
She said: “The plan is to move our existing childcare services to this new, bigger building so we can increase what we’re doing.
“We also have plans for a community shed to run a repair-reuserecycle scheme for older members of the community and a courtyard.
“We want to make good use of the building.
“It’s a beautiful building and it’s in great condition – I can’t understand why it’s not in use.
“We’ve done community consultation, we’ve been to several local planning meetings and things – and we’ve had really good support from the community and the council.”
FCSS aims to offer childcare services for those whose needs change on a regular basis, such as parents working on flexible contracts or everchanging shift patterns.
Susan added: “At the moment the plan is dependent on finding out what we need to do (to the building) and if we need to do it in stages.
“We would love to create a real centre of excellence for the community – lots of other childcare providers ask us how we can deliver flexible care.”
Ron Neave, chairman of Fintry Community Council, has welcomed the interest in the nursery.
He said: “As a community council we are happy that there is an interest being shown in the nursery and movement towards something happening with it, considering it has lain empty since 2009.”