PLANS have been submitted for a ‘forest nursery’ to be built close to Stogumber Cricket Club.

Rebecca Moore, who runs Lille and Wild pre-school in the village centre, wants to build a new log cabin-style facility to the east of the cricket pitch and pavilion.

The 323 sq ft (30 sq m) cabin would include an all-weather veranda and accommodate up to 20 children aged from three months to five years.

The youngsters will be able to receive education on site during term time, together with holiday clubs, with the nursery employing four members of staff.

A spokesperson for agents Polden Planning said: “The nursery is intended to deliver on an identified need in a catchment where there are currently no early years settings in place.

“Stogumber Forest Nursery would provide a fully outdoor, rural nursery setting, unique to Somerset and founded on the principle that the provision of an amazing outdoor environment can offer pre-school children enhanced learning outcomes and experiences.

“A new early years setting in Stogumber would provide benefits to the local community in terms of service provision and self-containment, and also encourage uptake for the existing primary school catchment roll.

“It would meet a demonstrated need for early years provision which is currently unmet within a ‘desert’ for such facilities.”

The catchment area for the new nursery will include numerous small villages between the Quantock Hills and the eastern edge of Exmoor, including Bicknoller, Crowcombe, Lydeard St Lawrence, and Monksilver.

Parish councillors in Stogumber are expected to give their views on the plans when they meet in January.

Somerset Council will then take a final decision on the application by late March, which, if approved, would allow the new nursery to be operational by September next year, ahead of the new academic year.