Nursery eyeing Hoo Farm Animal Kingdom for new base
Youngsters at a nursery in Telford could soon find themselves taking part in classes surrounded by wild animals if a relocation plan is given the go-ahead.
Staff at ABC Nursery want to move to Hoo Farm Animal Kingdom in Preston-upon-the-Weald-Moors near Telford – which is home to exotic animals such as snakes, bats, reptiles and alpacas. The lease at the nursery's base at Wrockwardine Village School is due to run out at the end of the year, and nursery teachers believe Hoo Farm would be an ideal alternative.
But planning officers have recommended the application be refused, claiming it would not be a suitable site for a permanent nursery.
The nursery already has connections with Hoo Farm, with regular educational visits by the pre-school children, and has applied for planning permission to erect a temporary pre-fabricated classroom north of the main farm. Edward Dorrell, spokesman for ABC Nurseries, said the company believes that a site within the boundaries of Hoo Farm would be an ideal location.
The nursery would be open for 51 weeks of the year and would provide care for 52 children and the equivalent of 14 full time jobs.
A spokesman for Telford & Wrekin Council said: "We appreciate the need for a prompt relocation to deal with the expiring lease in Wrockwardine, and have offered the applicant a two-year temporary permission which would provide a short term solution for the nursery and sufficient time to locate a more suitable and sustainable site.
"This offer however has not been accepted as the business is seeking a permanent permission.
"We are not prepared to provide a permanent permission and as such are recommending refusal."
