A children's nursery in Chelsea has been granted permission to extend its operating hours and outdoor play times, despite concerns raised by local residents about potential noise.
The Little House nursery, located at 34 Oxford Gardens, will now be able to operate between 7:30 am and 6:30 pm on weekdays, an extension from the previous 8:00 am to 5:00 pm limit. The outdoor play area will also see an extended operational window, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, an increase from the previous restricted slots throughout the day.
These changes were approved by Kensington and Chelsea Council's Planning Applications Committee on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. The decision follows a previous temporary permission granted in 2024 for extended hours, which did not attract a suitable tenant due to its temporary nature. The council's belief that extended hours will make the nursery more commercially attractive is based on the applicant's statement that this previous temporary permission did not attract a suitable tenant because it was not permanent.
Objectors had raised concerns about noise from the extended hours and outdoor play, citing the proximity of residential properties. However, the council's Environmental Health department confirmed that there had been no previous complaints regarding the nursery's use. A noise technical note submitted with the application indicated that previous acoustic reports found no significant noise impact on nearby residents, including from the outdoor play area. The report also stated that the extended hours would not materially change internal noise levels in adjacent flats.
Specifically, a previous Acoustic Report for the nursery found no significant noise impact on nearby residents, including from the outdoor play area. The Local Planning Authority agreed that the report met noise standards and considered extended hours to be acceptable. The report also measured sound insulation between the nursery and the flat above, indicating that noise from nursery activities would be very low indoors. Extending nursery hours to 07:30–18:30 would not materially change internal noise levels in the flat. Extending outdoor play use until 17:00 is also considered unlikely to cause adverse noise impacts on nearby sensitive receptors, as ambient noise levels in the area between 10:00 and 17:00 have not significantly changed.
The previous restrictive planning conditions that made the nursery unit commercially unattractive included Condition 4, which restricted hours of operation to 08:00 to 17:00, Monday to Fridays, and prohibited operation on Saturdays, Sundays, or Public Holidays. Condition 5 restricted outdoor play to specific, short time slots throughout the day. The current proposal sought to vary these conditions to extend operating hours to 07:30 to 18:30 and allow outdoor play from 10:00 to 17:00.
The capacity of the Little House nursery is set at no more than 100 pupils and 35 members of staff at any one time, a condition implemented to safeguard the amenity of neighbouring property.
The Planning Applications Committee granted planning permission with specific conditions attached. Condition 4 states that the nursery use shall only be carried out between 07:30 and 18:30, Mondays to Fridays, and not at any time on Saturdays, Sundays, or public holidays. Condition 5 states that the use of the outdoor play areas shall only be carried out between 10:00 and 17:00, Mondays to Fridays, and not at any time on Saturdays, Sundays, or public holidays.
The council's decision aims to make the nursery unit more commercially attractive, as it has been empty since 2024 due to the restrictive planning conditions.
Read the full Public reports pack for the meeting here: Public reports pack 23rd-Jun-2026 16.30 Planning Applications Committee