Controversial plans to relocate a children's nursery to a car park on green belt land have been approved.

The Dawn to Dusk Day Nursery has been given the go-ahead to build its new facility at The Birches, next to Swanley Park.

It will see a single-storey building erected on the tarmacked surface to ensure 110 families can continue to access childcare locally.

The proposals, which were approved by Sevenoaks Council in "very special circumstances" last week, will also see the car park extended to retain the existing 74 places with an additional five places for nursery staff.

The need for the new facility came about after the nursery was given notice by its landlords at its present location in St Mary's Road that it must quit by March.

It was previously based inside the crumbling Orchard Academy building which is being rebuilt as part of the government's £1bn school rebuild programme.

But the blueprint for the new school does not factor the family-run nursery, which has been operating for nearly 30 years and employs 24 full-time staff, into its plans.

Swanley Town Council has been sympathetic to their plight and, after looking for alternative sites, offered the car park to build a replacement.

But a previous planning application which went before Sevenoaks Council on July 19 was refused on account of it being an "inappropriate development" on the green belt.

Councillors at the time decided there was "insufficient information" to justify building on the site and raised concerns over its impact on parking.

The applicants have since gone back to the drawing board and a revised bid was submitted in October.

It made the case that the loss of child-care places and jobs will outweigh any harm to the landscape.

The nursery also argued it does not operate like a school with parents not arriving all at once, but instead at times of their own choosing.

It says the pressure on parking spaces and on the local road network will therefore be diluted throughout the day – the nursery operates between 7am and 7pm.

The plans have divided opinion locally with more than 50 people commenting either for or against.

Most objectors say the green belt and the park should not be harmed for the sake of a private business, and also express concerns about the increased traffic on The Birches and the local road network.

Opponents say it is the wrong place for such a building. One said: "I believe this is not a suitable site for the nursery.

"This is a green space that is for the Swanley people and surrounding areas. It will bring more traffic to the surrounding roads which are already congestion."

Another added: "The land is designated as green belt and the proposed use cannot justify this vital protection being over-ridden."

"This is the only nursery that provides hours that suits working parents and make provision for children from under two to school age in the community."

However, those in favour say the nursery is a vital resource.

One supporter said: "I have full support as it's a great development for the community and it provides greater education to children in surrounding area.

"The project will benefit the neighbours and nearby local communities in a greater extent."

Another said: "This is the only nursery that provides hours that suits working parents and make provision for children from under two to school age in the community."

In reviewing the application, the council took into account the "very special circumstances" needed to build on the green belt.

There are usually very limited exceptions to this, such as some infilling or the "partial or complete redevelopment of previously developed land".

But the council factored in the potential loss of day care facilities and jobs to local residents, as well as the absence of alternative sites within the Swanley area.

It concluded: "The case for very special circumstances would outweigh the harm to the green belt and, in every other respect, the proposal would be an acceptable form of development that would comply with local and national policies, subject to the recommended conditions."

Speaking previously to KentOnine, the applicant, 40-year-old Akhil Patel, whose partner Rakhee, 41, runs the nursery, told KentOnline there had been a lot of misinformation spread about the project.

"I think some people have got the impression we are trying to destroy the local park," he said. "We are not doing that at all.

"I understand some of the concerns in saying it is green belt but we are only building on the concrete car park and we are actually increasing the number of car parking spaces."

The plans mean the existing car park will need to be re-shaped with the boundary extended to the north and east.

In total 79 spaces will be available with an overflow facility providing 50 additional unmarked spaces to visitors when the park is in "peak" use.