Westborough Road surgery could be transformed into nursery

Child psychologist Nicole Schnackenberg has launched a bid to turn the former Westborough Road Health Centre in Westcliff into a nursery.

The site is currently home to the Labyrinth House family wellbeing centre, which is also run by Dr Schnackenberg.

In her application to Southend Council’s planning department, she said “there is predicted to be a significant upsurge in children taking up nursery and pre-school places” because of extra childcare support being introduced by the government this year.

From September, working parents will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare for children over nine months old. 

Site - the former doctor's surgery in Westborough Road (Image: Google)“With the changes to childcare entitlements and funding come in this year, there is an insufficiency need in Westcliff for nursery places for two-, three- and four-year-olds,” she explained.

Only minor refurbishments would need to be made to the Westborough Road site, with blueprints submitted which could see part of the car park transformed into an outdoor play area and an extra toilet installed inside.

If successful, the whole building would be used as a nursery setting, including the upstairs which was previously used as a living space.

Dr Schnackenberg’s application adds: “This would fulfil a very real need in Westcliff for more nursery places and go some way in the insufficiency ‘crisis’ currently faced by not only Southend Council but councils across the country in light of the changes [being introduced by the government].”

“We feel that the whole building (downstairs, upstairs, and the outdoor space) would make the most wonderful nursery for children,” she wrote.

Labyrinth House opened in 2020 and offers toddler stay-and-plays and mother and infant groups.

It currently offers the use of its rooms to organisations and charities which support children, young people, and families  including Sunshine Baby Bank and Send the Right Message.

The services already offered at the site mean many of the facilities needed to run a successful nursery, like nappy bins, changing tables, low sinks, and somewhere to park parms, are already in place.

The GP surgery closed in 2016.