It might be called Little Toes – but a day nursery in Mansfield trod on the toes of planners and a government inspector when putting up a ‘monolithic’ timber fence to keep its children safe.
The eyesore fence, which is 1.8 metres high, was found to be out of keeping with the rest of the street scene on Sheepbridge Lane, where front gardens were enclosed by low stone walls.
Now it must come down and Little Toes has had to submit a planning application to erect a suitable replacement, comprising black metal railings with a hornbeam hedge behind.
The saga began when the day nursery and Forest School, which is at the junction of Sutton Road, opened for business in the spring of last year in a two-storey, semi-detached property formerly occupied by a vape shop and a hair salon.
The timber fence in front of Little Toes Day Nursery and Forest School on Sutton Road, Mansfield that planners did not like. (PHOTO BY: Brian Eyre/Chad)
Little Toes, run by mum and company director Rachael Buxton, also had nurseries at other locations and this one quickly earned rave reviews.
It needed a secure, private boundary to keep safe the 30 children in its care and to screen its outdoor play space from the busy road junction.
However, the timber fence was put up without planning permission. And when Little Toes asked for retrospective approval, Mansfield District Council refused.
The council felt that, due to its height and prominent position along the pavement edge close to the junction, the fence had “an overbearing impact”, “contrasted negatively” with the low stone walls of other properties and was “a monolithic and incongruous addition”.
Inside the Little Toes Day Nursery and Forest School in Mansfield. (PHOTO BY: Brian Eyre/Chad)
Stunned, Little Toes lodged an appeal with the government’s Planning Inspectorate. But that was dismissed in January when an inspector agreed with the council’s view.
He felt that fence was “a considerably taller form of boundary treatment”, constructed of “a markedly different material than others on Sheepbridge Lane” and was “therefore incongruous”.
The inspector accepted the fence did “not have an adverse effect on the living conditions of nearby residents” and did successfully provide security for the Little Toes children. But he believed such “identified benefits could be achieved by a fence that was less harmful”.
Backed by a statement from planning consultancy NAPC Ltd, Rachael has now submitted a fresh proposal to the council, whereby the solid timber fence would be replaced by a softer, more green option.
A fence of black metal railings, one metre high, would be backed by a hedge, 1.8 metres high, and incorporate gates for pedestrian access.
If permission was given, the work would take place within three months and the height of the hedge would be maintained for its lifetime.
The council’s planning officers are currently considering the proposal and hope to make a decision or recommendation by their deadline date of Wednesday, December 30.
THE details of many planning applications can be found in public notices advertised by local and regional newspapers. To catch up on all the latest public notices, go to https://publicnoticeportal.uk/
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