PLANNERS will this month decide whether a state-of-the-art childcare facility which has attracted nearly £1-million of Government funding should go ahead on a busy Callington industrial estate.

Callington town councillors have voiced support for the scheme, which will be the only full-day care nursery in the town, at their meeting last week but raised some concerns over the access.

Cllr Andrew Long congratulated Cornwall County County for its project at the Moss Side Industrial Estate, which he said would be 'a feather in the cap' for Callington.

'I think it is an excellent thing but there are a few issues over the access,' he said.

'There needs to be something put in place to reduce the amount of lorries parking roadside to make the access and egress better for people dropping off their children.'

Area manager for the county's family services Maureen Hunt told councillors that the Government was investing a lot of money in Callington as part of its child poverty agenda.

There was currently no day care facility in Callington for the under fives apart from childminders and a pre-school, and there was a need for flexible, affordable childcare.

She said the UK had the highest number of people living in child poverty in the European Union and work was the best route out of poverty.

The self esteem of parents and children increased and children who had some kind of quality childcare outside the home were seen to benefit in terms of health and social interaction and perform better at school.

There were questions over just how affordable childcare would be, as it was often not worthwhile people working, because all the money earned went on childcare.

Mrs Hunt said: 'The Government is trying to make people better off in work than out of work so we cannot afford to set the prices too high. Some parents are able to claim working tax credit where they can get up to 80% of the costs back.'

The nursery would provide 24-places at any one time, which could cater for workers on the industrial estate and the new Tesco should it get planning permission, said Mrs Hunt. She said it was unlikely the nursery would expand on that site, but there were other opportunities if more provision was needed.

Negotiations had already begun with the area's largest employer, Ginsters, as to how the nursery would meet their requirements in terms of shift patterns.

As well as a large main childcare hall with a fully fitted kitchen and separate kitchen for the children, there would be a meeting room which people could hire out, a staffroom, a courtyard and an outdoor play area which the nursery would be built around, providing a protected area for the children.

Mrs Hunt said she hoped the workplace nursery would be approved by the planning department on December 17 — work could then start in the New Year with a completion time of around August 2009.

The contract to run the nursery would be put out to tender and all individuals, companies and charitable organisations would be considered.