Kilkenny parents face worrying time as childcare facility refused retention of extension

The owner of a creche and montessori in Thomastown has had to inform several parents that the facility will not be able to provide after school services for their children this September.

Gillian Mason owns and runs the creche and montessori school in Maudlin Court in Thomastown and provides care for 36 children who attend creche and 24 youngsters who avail of the after schools programme.

“We care for children aged from one to 12 years from 7.30am ‘til 6pm, 51 weeks a year,” she said.

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“I bought the premises two years ago when it was repossessed by the bank, after leasing it for seven years. I recently applied to Kilkenny County Council for planning to build a room on top of an existing extension to the rear of the property.

“The planning has been refused but also the planners have refused retention on the existing extension. This extension has been there for 14 years and was built by the previous owners.

“I am the only full childcare daycare service in Thomastown and surrounding areas. If I have to take away the existing extension, at a cost I cannot afford, this will result in the closure of an ECCE room, which currently caters for 11 children. I had a meeting with the parents of these children earlier this month to inform them that I am not in a position to provide afterschool care due to the lack of space.

“There is a childcare crisis at the moment and we are the only facility taking in toddlers in the Thomastown area.

“If I have to remove the existing extension because of the retention issue I will lose the afterschool room which currently accommodates 24 children and would also have to stop taking in toddlers and wobblers (one-to-two-year olds),” she added.

“This would be a great loss to Thomastown and the surrounding villages of Gowran, Stoneyford and Knocktopher as I am currently the only service in the area to take children aged under two years.

“I am hoping that we will be able to find a way to save this creche,” she added.

A number of submissions were received by Kilkenny County Council from residents who raised concerns around staff parking, safety issues with parents dropping and collecting children and excess noise.

A concerned parent, whose son had been attending the creche since he was a baby and is now four said that she had received news from Gillian, the owner of the creche, that her son and 10 other children will not be able to use their after-school care facilities due to planning denial from Kilkenny County Council.

“I can’t begin to explain how stressed about this we are as we were relying on this service for our son as we both work full time. And not only that but the council have advised that Gillian needs to remove a section of the building that was in place before she purchased the property which means an additional 24 children will be without childcare.

“Thomastown Creche and Montessori is the only full time childcare facility in Thomastown and surrounding areas so the knock-on effect of this will be devastating for the community and Gillian anticipates that the creche will ultimately become an ECCE facility as it will not be financially feasible for her to run a full time service. With an increasing population in the town and a planning application being put in for a new housing estate, we need more childcare facilities- not less,” she said, adding that it is now likely that she or her partner will have to give up their job in order to take care of their son.”

Kilkenny County Council refused the application for retention of the single-story to the rear and partially to the side of the existing childcare and permission to construct a first floor extension over the existing extension on August 1, this year.