Arun condemned as nursery forced to close

They said Arun District Council members were wrong to reject a bid by the Pavilion Nursery to move to new premises. They agreed to write to the district council making clear their dismay about the situation. Nursery owner Christine Southerton wanted to use an empty unit in a business centre in Durban Road to look after up to 33 children six days a week. She has six staff.

She has to quit her current premises in Hook Lane at the end of this month because her landlord, the University of Chichester, wants to redevelop the site.

But Arun's development control committee last month rejected her application. It decided a nursery would be an inappropriate use in the industrial location. Members also wanted the business use of the proposed premises to be kept while alternatives for the nursery were available.

Cllr Paul Wells used Monday's town council meeting to criticise the decision.

"I wonder what planet Arun are on. They are ripping the heart out of the community in Hotham ward, where the nursery is situated," he told the council. There is nowhere else for the nursery to go. The people who own the nursery have been looking for months and months for new premises."

He said Arun should consider small businesses among the grandiose regeneration schemes involving large firms.

"The future of the town is not just about looking after big business. It's about looking after smaller employers and smaller businesses in the town," he stressed.

Cllr Simon McDougall said he had supported the nursery at the development committee meeting.

Rejecting Mrs Southerton's plans had put the best part of 30 mums' jobs in jeopardy because they would struggle to find somewhere else to look after their children.

He said he believed potential problems with the nursery in the business unit such as the safety of the green in front of the business centre and the transport movements along Durban Road could have been overcome. "The bigger picture for regeneration is extremely good for this town," he stated.

"But we need to make sure we are working with smaller firms to ensure they are thriving and able to take part in that regeneration."