Govanhill nursery approved

Glasgow City Council’s education department has been given permission for an early learning and childcare centre on a sports pitch next to Cuthbertson Primary.

The facility will accommodate up to 87 pre-school children, aged between two and five.

It will include four playrooms, a dining room, offices, kitchen and toilets/changing facilities.

The nursery is being built to help the council meet the Scottish Government’s target for free early learning and childcare, which is increasing from 600 hours to 1140 hours.

To deliver the expansion, which is available for all three to five year-olds and eligible two year-olds, the city council is providing new build facilities in area where “high demand for early years places exceeds existing physical capacity”.

The plans stated: “The data on demand and supply shows that there is a need for increased capacity in the Govanhill area.

“This site was selected due to the lack of suitable alternative sites in the locality and families in the are do not tend to want to travel outwith the locality to access early learning and childcare.”

There will be no set sessions when the nursery opens, to allow families to be flexible with their allocated hours. The centre will be open from Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm.

The council’s application revealed Glasgow Life had confirmed the sports pitch, where the nursery will be built, has not been booked since 2011, with other, more popular, facilities in the area.

No drop off facility was proposed as “the existing school has no drop off provision and car use for drop off/collection is relatively low”.

The nursery’s main entrance will be off Coplaw Street, where an entrance square will be created.