A NEW nursery will be coming to Romsey after councillors voted in its favour and with overwhelming public support.
Two replacement dwellings and a children's nursery at Ashfield Cottage, Southampton Road, by Stratland Estates, were approved despite Test Valley Borough Council officers recommending their refusal.
Cllr Neil Gwynne, also a member of Romsey Town Council, was surprised at the rare instance of councillor/public accord. He said: "156 signed a petition to support this case - I'd need strong reasons to turn it down."
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"It has not been demonstrated [that] there are other material considerations or benefits to outweigh the harm identified. "
Cllr Alan Dowden, who supported the development, said: "I am inundated by parents seeking, from me, why isn't their nursery education sufficient? We've got three [nurseries] in Valley Park [...], but still people are requesting me.
"Who am I to go against that, whether on a planning committee, or whatever [...] What better location for children to be in the countryside, even if they're going into class?
"We have older people talking about their environment, [but] what about the youngsters, who can't speak for themselves yet?
"There's no way I would support the officer's recommendation on this."
Cllr Celia Dowden said: "There is no doubt that there is a deep need and, not just for playgroups, but for pre-school or full daycare [...] and this is exactly what this provides."
Cllr John Parker said: "I remember when we had this application before and I voted against it. Things I think have changed since then.
"We know that we face increased housing allocation in our area [...] and that will require additional nursery places."
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He continued: "Yes, it is not a sustainable location in terms of cycling and walking, but many of the nurseries don't seem to need that, from the way in which parents operate. The changes are such that, I must admit, I can't support the existing reasons for refusal."
After voting down the refusal, a second proposal to approve the development, subject to conditions, received unanimous support.
Sebastian Clarke, commercial director at Stratland Estates, previously said: "The evidence now clearly shows a growing shortfall in local childcare provision.
"Romsey is projected to face a shortage of at least 169 nursery places by 2026 – and with the new government support in place and housing numbers increasing in the region, the demand is only set to increase.
"Our proposed nursery meets this need with a modern, accessible solution for working parents."
