Nursery premises plan recommended for refusal

A nursery's hopes of finding a new home have been dealt a blow after officers recommended refusing permission to allow it to move onto an industrial estate.

Shining Stars, based at St Helen's Primary Academy in Monk Bretton, Barnsley, was given notice to leave by March so the school could use the site for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

Amanda Goodyear, owner of Shining Stars, applied to Barnsley Council for planning permission to transform a unit on nearby Carlton Industrial Estate.

Planning officers recommended refusal of the application due to concerns about safety, suitability and traffic management.

Ms Goodyear previously told the BBC that if the nursery was unable to move to the Carlton Estate site, it would almost certainly face closure with a "devastating" impact on the community.

Officers outlined in the planning report that should the nursery move to the proposed site, Shining Stars pupils would be "vulnerable to harm from noise, dust and other pollution from nearby uses".

The site offers 10 parking spaces, which Barnsley Council traffic officers feared could lead to parents parking on the busy industrial estate roads, blocking access for large vehicles.

There were also worries about the safety of children crossing these roads.

Shining Stars manager Katie Harris expressed her "frustration" at the recommendation.

She said: "It's not that we're being inflexible about this and turning down other options.

"There is no other option. We need this."

Ms Harris has not given up hope, saying: "We get a chance to speak to council next week and state our case so all is not lost."

The council will make its final decision on the application on 21 January.

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