Plans for new Sunderland day nursery in former care home rejected over traffic fears

Earlier this year, plans were lodged with Sunderland City Council to change the use of Rowlandson House in the Hendon ward. The building, on the junction of Ryhope Road and Villette Road, previously housed a care home for elderly people before closing in January. New proposals for the site included a nursery employing eight people and looking after a maximum of 50 children. Despite highway safety concerns around youngsters being picked up and dropped off by car near a signalised junction, planning officers recommended the plans for approval. The council’s area development control sub-committee voted against their own officers to reject the plans. Parking issues, the building’s location and fire safety dominated the debate at Sunderland Civic Centre. Hendon ward councillor, Lynda Scanlan, raised concerns over the lack of an agreed emergency evacuation point. She told the meeting the applicant could not equate a nursery and care home use, adding: “This is five days a week traffic, morning noon and night.” Fellow Hendon ward member and deputy leader of Sunderland City Council, Coun Michael Mordey, led calls to reject the plans. His concerns included highway safety, the potential impact on neighbours and “wholly inadequate amenity space” for children using the nursery. During council consultation on the plans, objection letters raised issues about the nursery use clashing with pupils travelling to Southmoor Academy. At the meeting, several councillors agreed the ratio of children to staff was “not sufficient” and raised concerns about road safety for children accessing parks in the area. Planning agent Anton Lang, defending the proposals at the meeting, said the nursery was well-located in a residential area. He said the nursery would “grow organically” in terms of pupil numbers and would provide enough garden space. Councillors heard matters around fire safety and pupil numbers would be kept in check by separate processes outside of the planning system. As the former use of building was a care home, Mr Lang added, fire safety evacuation points were not an “insolvable problem”. Traffic surveys provided by the applicant, and endorsed by council planners, also stated there were spaces for around 20 cars in surrounding streets during drop off and pick up times. Councillors also heard parking restrictions and extra measures agreed with the council would boost road safety and encourage customers to walk to the site. This included extending barriers along Ryhope Road and Villette Road and a traffic safety leaflet being distributed to all current and potential nursery customers. However, Coun Rebecca Atkinson questioned the traffic impact in terms of pupil numbers, visitors and pick up and drop off times. While Coun Mordey said the plans could negate an “unwritten rule” between the council and Ryhope Road residents around parking on block paving outside their homes. Potential parking solutions were also floated at the meeting, including nursery staff being directed to park in areas of China Street. Although nursery bosses stressed that the business would have a smaller impact compared to a 24/7 care home use, councillors were unconvinced. A motion to reject the plans was carried by a majority vote, with a single abstention from Coun Michael Dixon.