Nursery plan for former Walsall restaurant fails
A bid to transform a former Aldridge restaurant into a new 130-place nursery has failed.
Little Ripley Day Nurseries wanted to take over the former Simon’s Restaurant on Chester Road, creating almost 30 jobs in the process.
The company said as well as helping address a shortfall in childcare places in the borough, the new venture would have brought a new lease of life to the building which has lain empty since the Chinese restaurant closed in 2019.
But Walsall Council planning officers refused to grant permission, saying the applicant had failed to provide sufficient information to demonstrate the nursery would not have an impact on highways safety.
They also raised concerns the outdoor play area proposed would impact the Green Belt and create noise and disturbance for neighbours. Concerns were also raised about the long term health of trees on site.
The company started operating in 1988 and now runs 16 nurseries across Sutton Coldfield, Erdington, Great Barr and Kingstanding.
They cater for children aged between six weeks and five years old, Mondays to Fridays from 7am to 6pm.
Representatives for Little Ripley Day Nurseries said there was an unmet need for 389 nursery places in Walsall.
Agent Bi Design Architecture said: “There is a clear demand for high quality children’s nursery at this location.
“The applicant has a long standing and impeccable reputation for high quality practices and procedures that ensure the ongoing success of the business.
“They are a well respected employer that knows how to operate causing minimum disruption to existing business or residents.
“The change of use of to a children’s day nursery will have a hugely positive impact on the site and the surroundings by drastically reducing noise, vehicle movements, operating hours, anti-social behaviour and highway impact.
“The nursery’s operating hours, Monday to Friday, will coincide with that of the adjacent garden centre business but also the hours of which where residents tend to be at work, typically between the hours of 8.00am and 6.30pm.
“At evenings, when nearby residents would tend to be at home, the nursery would be closed unlike the restaurant use where these times of day tend to be the busiest.
"In addition, the nursery would also be closed at weekends for staff, deliveries and parents. The resulting reduction in noise, disturbance and traffic would greatly improve the adjacent resident’s amenity.”