Second blow for nursery proposals

PLANS for a nursery in Royston have been rejected by town councillors for a second time. Members of Royston Town Council's planning committee could not support a proposal to convert office units into a day nursery. Sunhill Daycare submitted an application for premises at The Maltings in Green Drift, Royston. The nursery re-submitted the scheme because it had not appealed against a decision from North Herts District Council to reject the plan Cllr Mike Harrison said: "I haven't changed my opinion one bit. I think that anyone that wants to put a nursery in an industrial area is completely bonkers." Cllr Lynn Berry criticised the plans, which she said had "not changed one iota". And Cllr Chris Barton was critical of the proposal due to the already heavy traffic in the area. "I think the traffic in Green Drift, particularly at school time, is already quite bad and I think this would add to it." However, Cllr Rod Kennedy said: "I think it's a difficult one actually. I don't think it's an ideal spot, but there's a need for a nursery in Royston and there is the requirement for those children to go somewhere. "I think we've got to consider parents with children that need nursery places. I think that is a greater factor than the others, so I would support it.