NEIGHBOURS have objected to plans for a “much-needed” new children’s day nursery.
Susan Tredell – who has been running an Ofsted Outstanding children’s day nursery in Worcester for the past 18 years – has applied to convert a large residential property at 28 Droitwich Road, Worcester, into a nursery.
The plans would see the nursery accommodate up to 30 children and run from Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, while employing six full-time members of staff.
Mrs Tredell considers the new nursery to be a “much-needed service,” after seeing a climb in the waiting list for her current nursery in St John’s, Worcester.
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She said: “Demand at our nursery in St John’s is overwhelming, with the waiting list now extending into June 2027.
“The already very challenging over demand has been further exasperated in recent weeks with the sad news of a large nursery closure in Worcester, and we have been inundated with enquiries from parents desperately looking for a childcare solution.
“We are unable to meet the demand at present however by opening our doors to the local community at 28 Droitwich Road it would allow us to release waiting parents from our waiting list and help more local families with their childcare needs.”
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However, the application has prompted a series of objections from neighbouring residents, who have cited concerns over traffic, parking, noise and the impact on residential amenity.
Rebecca Jones, who lives nearby, said: “My primary concern is the suitability of this location from a highway safety perspective.
“The street is narrow and already struggles to accommodate existing traffic.
“The introduction of a nursery at this location would inevitably increase vehicle movements during peak drop-off and pick-up times, thereby intensifying pressure on an already constrained highway network and significantly increasing the risk to motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and young children.”
She added she was also concerned about the level of noise that would be created by the nursery.
Sarah Reeves-Alley raised the same concerns as Ms Jones, primarily siting highway safety issues.
Katy Wells branded the idea of adding further traffic to the “already overcrowded” road as “absurd.”
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Despite these concerns, Worcestershire County Council’s highways authority has raised no objection to the proposal, subject to conditions of a nursery operational management plan to mitigate traffic impact.
In her cover letter, Mrs Tredell stated that childcare is a passion of hers.
She said: “Childcare has been my lifelong passion and I have always been deeply committed to providing children and their families with outstanding care and education, alongside strong parent partnerships to ensure the best possible outcomes for every child.
“Our reputation locally is one of trust, respect and integrity, we are family run and extremely proud of our reputation for providing exceptional early years care and education, in a home from home environment.”
