PLANS to convert The Black Fox Pub into a children’s nursery and pre-school have now been submitted.

One year on, after seeking pre-planning advice from the South Downs National Park Authority, Green Roots Nursery has put forward a full planning application for change of use from a public house to a children’s nursery and pre-school at the site in Portsmouth Road, Liphook.

Green Roots claims no works are proposed to the building itself and stresses the internal layout only requires minor alterations which would not change the overall appearance of the building.

No new buildings are proposed as part of the change of use and the site is enclosed by substantial planting, minimising view of the property from its surroundings.

There is ample parking on site to facilitate the morning, afternoon and evening peak drop off and pick up periods.

The existing pub garden would be retained and used as an outdoor play area and the layout of the site would not be altered, apart from current parking and access arrangements to improve highway safety for customers as well as other users of the busy B2070 road.

The applicant is also proposing clearance of overgrown shrubs at the front to improve visibility for motorists, but would retain any trees and native hedgerows.

Green Roots compiled a report which states the public house has actively been for sale and marketed for the last 18 months – but no interest has been shown to continue its existing use, which the applicant feels justifies the proposed change of use.

In addition, the nursery owners say it would offer community benefits, meeting existing educational needs in the area and introduce increased employment to the rural economy, as well as presenting an opportunity to provide an important community facility to address local needs.

Green Roots places a significant emphasis on outdoor learning and its vision is very much aligned with the purposes of the South Downs National Park.

The report claims working parents like to drop-off and pick-up their young children from nursery and pre-school on the way to, and from, work.

The location of The Black Fox on a key commuter route between Liphook, Petersfield and beyond would make that an easy option and not encourage greater car usage or increase existing traffic.

The site is well-removed from other neighbouring residential properties, with dense vegetation blocking out noise and visibility.

Children would only play in the garden during day time and would be supervised at all times.

Green Roots says any nursery activities would be restricted between 7am and 6pm, whereas current opening hours of The Black Fox extend well into the evening as well as weekends.

The owners state the level of activity associated with the proposed children’s nursery use would be less intense than a viable public house and a highway survey confirmed the total number of daily vehicle movements would be significantly reduced through the proposed change.

In January a fatal head-on-crash took place in the morning on the B2070 near the pub, involving a 34-year-old woman from Liphook and a 64-year-old man from Hambledon, who subsequently died.

The road was closed for more than six hours while the incident was being dealt with.

The Black Fox, which comes under Milland’s Neighbourhood Plan area and lies in the South Downs National Park, is currently for sale, but has been unable to attract a purchaser willing to make the necessary investments to continue is use as a public house.

Green Roots claims the proposal would facilitate the retention of a community use on site, different to the existing use, and that without the proposed development it is likely the public house will struggle to attract the investment it requires to remain occupied, taking account of changing trends.

Liphook lost its well-established and popular Willows Nursery two years ago, after Bramshott and Liphook Parish Council served an eviction order on the nursery’s long time premises at the Beacon Building, at the Recreation Ground.

The council relocated The Willows to the Millennium Centre on a short-term lease, which expired during the summer of 2016, leaving parents in a desperate search for replacement nursery places.

The Green Roots Nursery website states its “holistic approach to childcare involves the whole family, providing first-class care for each child and offering much more than just a childcare facility.”

Green Roots, which is based in Emsworth, near Chichester, also encourages “a powerful love of learning through providing new, interesting and stimulating experiences and will help children learn social skills and manners in a positive way, be involved in real life-enriching experiences, such as preparing meals and discovering the natural world, making individual choices and expressing themselves through purposeful play.”

Green Roots takes part in an annual team survey and all nursery practitioners hold a minimum of a level there childcare qualification and receive a thorough induction upon appointment.

The nursery caters for babies and toddlers, while the pre-school looks after children aged between three to five years old.

•For more information visit www.green-roots.com