A NURSERY with space for 93 children is set to be built in Basingstoke, subject to planning permission.

Nursery facilities provider Kids Inc is planning to build the new nursery on land at the Island Site, off Beggarwood Lane in Basingstoke.

According to Select Enterprises, which operates Kids Inc, there is currently a shortfall of more than 500 places within a one-mile radius of the proposed site location.

This rises to nearly 3,000 within a three-mile radius, according to data sourced by Kids Inc.

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A spokesperson for Select Enterprises Limited said: “We are acting on behalf of the successful Kids Inc chain of nurseries, and we have identified unmet demand in Basingstoke for our next purpose-built facility.

“Our data comes from an independent organisation, CACI Business Consulting, which provides national statistics and demographic information to the childcare sector. It has concluded that within a one-mile radius of the site location there is currently a shortfall of more than 500 places, rising to nearly 3,000 within a three-mile radius.

“As a result, we believe there is clear demand for more capacity, and this is the reason we are investing in this area of Basingstoke to meet that need.

“Our facility will have space for 93 children, though we expect the roll to be more than this, as not all the youngsters will be on-site at the same time.

“We aim to deliver a high-quality nursery with purpose-built facilities in Basingstoke, following on from the successes we have experienced at our other nurseries across the region.”

The site where the nursery is planned had been set aside for a new dental surgery.

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However, Grainger, which got permission in 2018 for the major development that also included the Holly Blue pub and a care home, sold the 0.2-acre site for the surgery to Select Enterprises in April 2021.

It is understood that Grainger had a deal in place with local dentists to build a surgery on the site, however, this deal collapsed and the developer then sold the site.

Select Enterprises has not submitted a planning application for the nursery yet.