The company has signed up to run a 120-place nursery on developer Taylor Woodrow's Macintosh Village, outside Manchester, which will be ready in June 2005. The chain is also involved in another joint development due to open in 2006.
'The Macintosh development (right) is an opportunity for parents in Manchester who want their young children to be near home, and to have less disruption in their journey to and from work each day,' says a Kidsunlimited spokesman.
Kidsunlimited recognises the benefit the developer gets from having the chain on board. 'It's no secret that developers see integral nurseries as a positive thing,' says the spokesman. 'It can give developers a marketing angle. It can also help with planning permission because it forms an important centre for the community.'
There are many variables when the chain considers the viability of a project including demand, level of fees parents are willing to pay, ease of finding professional nursery nurses and the availability of affordable buildings.
The spokesman adds, 'If the covenant is strong it can be a positive partnership from the developer and the nursery point of view. Increasingly, developers are being encouraged to provide facilities in the communities they are developing, as part of Government initiatives.'
Kidsunlimited sticks to strict building design guidelines. The company insists on a detailed design specification refined over 20 years. 'We will not agree to open sites unless the setting is built to, or in sympathy with, our design,' states the spokesman.
'In standalone nurseries the size of the nursery is a reflection of demand, based on the number of children in a given location. We also consider the existing potential supply in an area before deciding on the size of a nursery. Our first priority is always to offer the correct education, care and benefits to children.'
