PLANS to relocate Cheeky Cherubs Nursery from Irnham Road to Hillview Road, in Minehead, and to create up to four new jobs in the process, have fallen foul of district council planners.

The application had the full support of social services, Business Link, Somerset County Training and the Somerset Council for Christian Care Ltd, but failed to win approval at last Thursday's meeting of West Somerset District Council's planning committee.

Councillors had been advised by planning officer John Gibbs to refuse the proposal on the grounds that the nursery would be in a residential area and as such would cause a noise disturbance to neighbours.

But Joanne Buck, who runs the nursery, said not one complaint had been received about noise from the nursery at its current base in Irnham Road.

"I just don't understand why the council was so negative about out application. They just didn't want to listen to our opinions," Mrs Buck said after the meeting.

"We have people living above us here in Irnham Road and we've never caused them any noise problems, but the council just didn't want to take that into consideration."

Mrs Buck said there was little point resubmitting the application for Hillview Road due to the lack of support councillors had shown.

But she said "other options" were in the pipeline and she hoped something would come to fruition before the nursery was forced to quit its current premises.

Mrs Buck explained: "Unfortunately, the lease expires in May and our landlord is planning on selling the property and converting it back to a residential dwelling.

"I think we will have to wait and see what happens now. Maybe our landlord will be able to extend the lease, or one of our other options may become a possibility. I just don't know at the moment."

Cheeky Cherubs provides day care for nursery and pre-school children and has a waiting list of parents keen to enrol their children at the facility.

Ten members of staff are currently employed at the nursery, and there had been hopes new premises in Hillview Road would have led to the creation of between three and four extra jobs to cope with the additional child places created by the move.

Crucially, Mrs Buck's application had received the full support of a number of key agencies in Somerset, including social services, all of whom spelled out the huge demand for such a facility in the area to district councillors.

But in a report to the planning committee, Mr Gibbs said: "The dropping off and collection of children can cause potential noise nuisance.

"The noise of children playing or undertaking activities has to be accepted and there is no effective way of mitigating this potential nuisance.

"In addition, noise from within the building and its effect on the adjacent residents is a serious potential problem."

Mr Gibbs said he accepted sound insulation could minimise some noise, but said windows would inevitably be opened and recommended planning permission be refused.

He also claimed the nursery would not be "sustainable" in Hillview Road as some parents would have to travel to the nursery by car from other parts of the town.

He concluded: "The use of this semi-detached dwelling as a children's daycare nursery use would be incompatible within this residential area of Minehead by reason of noise generated at playtime outside the building and when children are being dropped off and collected.

"It is considered that such a noise nuisance would be prejudicial to the reasonable amenities and degree of quietude enjoyed by existing nearby residents."

He suggested a detached house would be better suited to the needs of the nursery.

Minehead Town Council had called for the application to be refused as the business would be in a residential area, would create noise and traffic problems and the house had stairs which were unsuitable for children.

A number of letters had also been received by the council objecting to the proposal, again highlighting concerns about noise pollution, traffic congestion and the unsuitability of using a semi-detached house with stairs as a nursery.