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Parents are rallying around nursery owners whose plans to open a new venture have been “scuppered”.
Business partners Laura Hollands and Eve Poynter had been hoping to welcome toddlers to the Hedgehogs pre-school at the former Green Lion pub in the High Street, Rainham.
But they say despite complying with a long list of planning requirements and spending more than £5,000 on specialist advice, they fear their dream of opening has come to an end.
In a last-ditch attempt, they launched a petition in a bid to persuade the council’s highways department, which has concerns over parking arrangements, to change its mind.
Their campaign has won the backing of families, including some of the 50 who had been expecting their little ones to join and now have to make alternative arrangements.
Among them is primary school teacher Nicola Smith who placed her one year-old son on the waiting list soon after he was born.
The 35-year-old Gillingham resident was impressed with the Hedgehogs nursery in Rochester and booked a place at the Rainham site hoping he would start at the end of last year.
She said: “We hand-picked the nursery after what we had seen and through word-of-mouth.
“We particularly liked its eco-friendly ethos and the love of getting children outdoors.
“We have had to find somewhere else but are hoping to get our son into their Forest School when he is two.
“We feel that Hedgehogs is unique, one of a kind, and prepares children with social and cultural experience before starting school.”
Another mum, Gemma Jones, had been prepared to travel from Allington to enrol daughter Molly, three.
For the 30-year-old and husband Ben, the nursery was the ideal place for the youngster who loves being outdoors.
She said: “She’s very inquisitive and they encourage them to be curious.
“It just seems crazy they are losing out on what would be an asset to the community, rather than an empty pub. Everything is up in the air now.”
Rainham resident Laura Brooks had been hoping to send daughter Faye to the nursery after an extensive search of alternative pre-schools.
She said: “We have been lucky enough to get a place at Hempstead. I am working from home and it would have been a 10- minute walk away. I loved it because of the creative play around children.
“There’s a lot of housing going up around here and there are not the nursery placements to support it.”
Laura Hollands said: “Our families are very loyal to us and some are prepared to travel to other settings which are more out of their way.
“We have had parents saying they are devastated their child won’t be joining us.”
The women have removed all parking on site for the nursery following issues raised, but have since been told this could “compound the issue as parents and carers are more likely to park indiscriminately”.
They have also carried sound assessment and traffic surveys as well as researching the demand for another nursery in the town where there is a high level of housing development.
As well as having to break the news to families, they have also had to tell 15 extra staff, including apprentices, they had planned to take on.
They founded the business in 2016 and have pre-schools, including a Forest School - which focuses on outdoor play - in Hempstead, Chatham and Rochester.
The petition had attracted many signatures within a day of going online. It has now closed for consideration by the council.
However, members of the public can still write in to make a statement in support of the Green Lion being transformed into a nursery, and that parking is sufficient. The email address to send statements to is planning.representations@medway.gov.uk
Supporter Janna Steadman wrote: “It’s ridiculous this building will stay empty and that the council won’t assist in providing this community with a childcare setting so unique from the rest.”
The Grade-II listed building has fallen into disrepair since it closed as a pub in 2019.
