Bid to save nursery fails

Parents were devastated to learn this week that efforts to save St Michael's Nursery in Uckfield have failed.

Letters were sent out telling them that while developers had expressed an interest in taking over the site and keeping the nursery open, it became obvious that it would be impossible to secure planning consents within the time available.

Business manager Mr William Swabey told the Express that a point had been reached where it would be impossible to resurrect the nursery without knowing it had a certain future.

'The property developers were well meaning and well intentioned but weren't fast enough off the blocks to save the nursery. They couldn't get planning permission any more than we could within the life of the nursery.

'I don't think they realised initially that the emergency was with the nursery and not with the property. Trying to deal with the two things together just didn't work.'

One of the parents, who campaigned to keep the nursery open and helped organise a petition to save it, Annette Wood, said: 'We are obviously tremendously disappointed and don't understand what has gone wrong.'

The letter to parents said it would 'clearly be wrong to hold out the prospect of keeping the nursery school on the basis of tentative proposals which cannot be guaranteed as sustainable, and could not be realised within the practical constraints of the nursery's current operating needs.

'It is therefore with great sadness that the Trustees must now acknowledge the nursery's closure at the end of the academic year.'

The letter went on to thank everyone who had been involved in the process for putting time and energy into saving the nursery. 'It has been a tribute to its superb reputation and staff and the high esteem in which it has been held locally.'

Mr Swabey said once the nursery had closed the trustees would have to take planning advice about the property and possibly put in a planning application to enable them to learn its value.

'We can't judge any property developer's submission properly unless we also know the value of the potential of the property.'