Renewed plans submitted to turn former police station into children’s nursery

Renewed plans to turn a former police station into a children’s nursery have been submitted.

The proposed change of use for Gresford Police Station, on Chester Road, was rejected by Wrexham Council planning officers over concerns about the extra traffic it would generate and the impact on road safety.

An appeal to have the decision overturned was also rejected by the planning inspectorate, which described the plans for the property as “harmful to highway safety contrary to Wrexham Unitary Development Plan (UDP) Policy GDP1.”

A renewed application to convert the former police station – which was put on the market for almost £230,000 several years ago – has now been put forward for consideration.

Initially it was proposed that the nursery would accomodate up to 39 children at a time.

However the revised plans address the concerns about increased traffic by reducing the number of children the nursery could accomodate to 24.

In a supporting document, the applicants said: “This will without question significantly reduce the perceived pressure on parking spaces at the nursery.

“The intention is to relocate children up to the age of 18 months from the applicant’s current nursery site in Old Wrexham Road to the proposed facility at the former police station. Staff currently working with those children to the proposed nursery.”

Commenting on concerns about parking, the applicants state that the 10 parking places at the front of the site will be “more than adequate to cater for the 24 proposed children and eight staff”.

Of these spaces eight will be made available to parents and two reserved for staff parking.

The supporting documents continue onto state: “A parking assessment of drop off / pick up times at the existing nursery demonstrates that drop offs average out at just 5.5 minutes and pick up at nine minutes.

“It is important to note that these times are lengthened by the two minute round tip to the existing nursery from the associated car parking area, effectively adding up to two minutes each visit.

“The use of an app by all parents ensures staff are aware what time children are due to be and picked up so that the children are prepared and ready to leave without wasting time; thus ensuring duration of stay is kept to an absolute minimum.

“This is just standard industry practice to cut down on face-to-face contact since the pandemic affected the country.”

The document adds: “The applicant has acknowledged highway department concerns over the proposed use of the site and reduced the size of the proposed nursery by 38 per cent – from 39 to just 24.

“Evidence demonstrates that highway department and Welsh Government appeal inspectors have accepted a ratio of one parking space for every 3.75 children.

“Parking studies at the existing site demonstrate there are never more than six vehicles from the relevant age groups on site simultaneously.

“A staff travel plan will be used to ensure that only two staff vehicles will ever be on site at any one time.

“Staff will all travel to the existing nursery, just as they currently do, and will then drive together in two cars to the Gresford Nursery site.

“The proposals adequately address the issues raised by the inspector at the previous appeal at the site.

“The proposals address all highway department issues and provides a parking space to child ration in excess of that which they have previously justified.

“There is no justifiable reason for the application to be refused on highway grounds.”

The renewed application will be considered for approval by Wrexham Council at a later date.