Officers oppose nursery plans for caretaker's home

The school wants to convert its former caretaker building, built in the 1960s

Plans for a new preschool on the former site of a Surrey caretaker's house have been labelled potentially "detrimental" to pedestrians and highway safety.

St Thomas of Canterbury's School in Merrow, Guildford, has put forward plans to transform a 1960s caretaker's bungalow into a preschool.

Parents say the nursery would allow a smooth transition into primary school and "help children achieve", the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

But planning officers have opposed the scheme, claiming there would be too much traffic at the start and the end of the school day.

The school wants to transform the empty caretaker's block into an L-shaped building with a new entrance, foyer and canopy for a sheltered outdoor play area.

The new classroom space could cater for up to 31 pupils aged between two and four, and would be open from 07:30 to 17:30 BST, Monday-Friday.

It is also proposed that there may be opportunities for the preschool to operate outside of term time.

More than 30 letters supporting the application have been received, with some in favour of the plans saying it would help families build better links with the community.

Others said it would help alleviate traffic pollution as many parents who have children at St Thomas's would not need to make additional journeys to take their younger children to preschools elsewhere.

But planning officers said there would be too much traffic in the area if the preschool gets permission, and a council report said the benefits did not outweigh the harms on highway safety.

Suggesting councillors refuse the application, officers said converting the site as it would result in an "over intensification" of the school grounds.

Members of Guildford Borough Council's planning committee will decide on whether the preschool can go ahead on 18 June.