Swapping around nursery and home to create 10 jobs
Change of use will allow more children to be accomodated at Cheddleton location
UP TO 10 new jobs are to be created after a Moorlands village nursery has been given planning permission to expand.
Planners at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council have approved plans for the change of use from residential dwelling to children’s day nursery and change of use from children’s day nursery to residential dwelling at Teddy’s Nursery located at Garden Villa, East Drive, Cheddleton.
A design and access statement produced on behalf of the applicant by DBD Architectural Consultancy Ltd of Leek, said: “The proposal is to swap the use of the two-storey building, currently the owner’s residential dwelling, into the baby unit, and the baby unit would become the residential dwelling.
“The use of the two-storey building for the baby unit will allow for greater numbers to be cared for at the nursery equating to approximately 30 additional children and generating employment for an additional eight to 10 childcare staff for the local area.
“Having the residential unit within the current single storey baby unit will allow for some separation of the dwelling from the nursery, as it is currently in the middle of the cluster of buildings.
“The layout of the buildings will generally remain the same, the habitable rooms (bedroom, lounge, dining, etc) shall become the childcare/nursery rooms.
“There will be storerooms created, and a baby changing room, and also a staff kitchen. The new nursery will now be linked to the main nursery rather than having a house in between, so the common rooms in the main nursery can be shared such as office facilities, reception.
“The use of the two-storey dwelling as a nursery for the children will provide greater flexibility for childcare.
“The current single storey building only has two rooms for childcare, while the two-storey building shall have four rooms. A conservatory to the rear of the dwelling shall be removed.”
Cheddleton Parish Council raised no objection to the proposal.
In a decision report recommending approval of the scheme, planning officer Ailsa Berry, said: “The removal of the modern conservatory will improve the appearance of the existing building, while the demolition of the single storey utility room is not considered to adversely affect the overall character or appearance of the existing building.
“The blocking up of what is currently an internal door into the utility room will also not adversely affect the character or appearance of the existing building and could be undertaken without planning permission.
“The proposed alterations are located to the rear of the existing building or within an existing courtyard and therefore, they will not be visible from public vantage points.
“It is for these reasons that the design of the proposed development is considered to comply with policy.
“The highway engineer raised no objection to the proposed development and therefore, it is not considered to have a detrimental effect on highway safety.”