Consultation Comments
Comments Received in Support of the Cabin
(from comment cards and emails)
I am in support of the proposed cabin on the FoR for rainbow corner nursery.
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Rainbow Corner nursery provides an absolutely vital service to pre-school aged children and their parents in Windlesham, and I support the expansion. I am a parent of two children who attend the nursery and our family lives in Windlesham. As is commonplace in 2025, both of us parents need to work in order to pay our bills; gone are the days when a single income could support a family of four and associated outgoings of running a home.
The childcare landscape in 2025 is a tricky one to navigate. The state does not provide the type of childcare that working parents need, ie to cover the 9am-5pm working day, and throughout the whole year and not just during school term time. Therefore the private childcare sector fills this much-needed gap nationally. There is a national shortage of childcare places of this type, meaning waiting lists are extremely long (1).
I had to book my second child in at 12 weeks pregnant for them to start at Rainbow Corner at 10 months old. Long waiting lists mean it is impossible for those moving to the village to access a space at this nursery, and it is unlikely that first-time parents who are new to the childcare situation will know you need to book your baby in before they are born.
The children have access to a wonderful and rich learning experience at Rainbow Corner. The staff are fantastic and so caring. Beyond that though, the location within the FOR enables the children to have access to outside space, something that is sadly lacking for this generation of children (2).
They have the option to play in the gardens, and also hugely benefit from the opportunity to go for walks in the woods and to Forest School because of the excellent location of the nursery. This exposes the children to so much more than if they were simply inside all day. My daughter is four and she can identify lichen and different species of slug thanks to the teaching she has had in this location! Outdoor learning means Windlesham children will grow up with respect and understanding of our environment and shared spaces, and it has great benefits for mental health and social development (3).
We, as do many other attendees, walk our children to nursery. This provides valuable time for us as a family but is also two fewer car journeys per day through the village. The position right on the field and near the playground means many children go on playing together after nursery, and us parents get a chance to chat and get to know each other. We’ve made many friends within our community precisely because of this.
In September, my eldest will start school. If the nursery opening hours extended to 8am instead of 8.30am, it will make dropping off in two locations so much more bearable. It would also enable me/my husband to walk to nursery drop off and then walk to school drop off, again reducing car journeys through the village.
Reading on the FAQs on the website, it costs £85,000 a year to run the FOR. Without that regular income from the nursery and the café, I imagine we’d be at risk of losing the whole FOR. Public services are so expensive to run, particularly for a small charity like the FOR, and costs are only going to increase in the current climate. I’d so much rather we had much-needed local businesses, employing local people, providing services that are needed and enjoyed by our community, than the field go bankrupt and be sold off.
Much of the opposition to the expansion expressed on the local community Facebook page seems to be about our community assets being used for residents, and for recreation. But children are residents. Our children are enjoying recreation because of the environment this special location offers. They may not be able to contribute to this consultation, but they live in the village and have just as much right to enjoy the FOR as those who can.
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We feel this is a very well planned proposal, with a great deal of consideration to the area and community.
We are a family that have waited 3 years to be able to get our children into nurseries in Windlesham as there have been no spaces, despite getting on waiting lists while pregnant. Additional spaces are very much needed to cater for local families. We have had to travel outside of the area for childcare spaces. The proposal to extend the hours is considerate to car park users and also helpful to working families.
It will also allow hard working staff there to have a proper staff room break out space, away from public and the children, important for staff morale and wellbeing.
Overall we are very much in favour of this proposal, which will have minimal impact on the community spaces but make a big difference to local families.
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It should come as no surprise to anyone that childcare settings are in high demand. The pressure on parents returning to work and sorting childcare is huge and when parents are faced with 18 months wait lists we jeopardise parents, mostly mothers returning to work.
I have to say, I am surprised by the negativity around this proposal which screams of entitlement from the local community. I presume none of these people can hold any empathy for local families and assume none of them have ever been in this situation themselves. It comes across as selfish and the antithesis of what we want from a community.
I have had children attend the nursery 5 days per week from August 2020 and I can say with absolute certainty I have NEVER on any SINGLE occasion ever had an issue with parking. The increase in families using this facility is not huge and I see no major reason why this should impact anyone in anyway.
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This setting is truly an amazing place for the younger members of the Windlesham community to flourish and be in their early years. Both my daughters have attended the setting and I feel fortunate that they could do so.
The expansion not only supports the need for parents to return to work and provide for their families but also gives the new generation of our community the most amazing pre-school experience.
I know there have been concerns raised around parking, but can confirm over the last 3 years I’ve been making regular drop offs and pick ups, this has never been an issue. Most parents stagger their drop offs pick ups times so the car park is never busy at a specific time. The only time I have struggled to park is at weekends when the field holds sporting events.
I hope my support as a local resident is taken in to account.
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The Rainbow Corner Nursery has consistently demonstrated excellent provision of care, earning the trust and appreciation of local families, including my own. This expansion is crucial to accommodate the growing demand, as evidenced by the current one-year waiting list. Local families need this provision to ensure that their children receive the best early education and care.
Moreover, if Windlesham is to be a place where young families can truly thrive, it is essential to have sufficient nursery provision. This will enable families to flourish and contribute positively to the community. The presence of the nursery adds significant value to the Remembrance Field, far beyond mere commercial benefits. It brings more families to the hub, enhancing the use of the café facilities and creating a bustling, safer area for everyone.
In conclusion, the expansion of the Rainbow Corner Nursery is not just beneficial but necessary for the continued growth and prosperity of our community. We wholeheartedly support this initiative and look forward to seeing it come to fruition.
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I think that this is an excellent idea for the following reasons.
- There is a clear need for more nursery places
- Disruption will be minimal
- The design fits the ethos of the forest school
So its a massive yes.
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Thank you for all the information provided. We are really looking forward to the benefits as a young family in the village!
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Thankyou. Excellent presentation. I came in as 50:50 & your team have sold me the idea of expansion. Well done.
Two thoughts/requests:
1. Please put lights on the back wall of the cabin to light the way past in winter/at night. And please make a path to walk on. The narrowed area will become very dark and unattractive.
2. The Forest School area. Please put a notice up at F.S. saying the public are welcome to enjoy F.S. at weekends/out of nursery hours. So that we feel it is shared space.
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Thank you for such an informative evening, it was great to see the layout & speak to the Trustees. We look forward to the benefits the young families will receive. Thanks again.
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Really happy with this proposal as it helps massively with working parents like myself. The staff absolutely need their own space to take their break.
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Supportive of the proposal. As newly expecting parents, the extra capacity is much welcomed.
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Supportive of the new proposal. I am expecting our first child, the waiting list is long and this nursery has the right environment.
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The proposal being made makes sense both in terms of serving the needs within the village for child/nursery care. Freeing up the library space which has been badly impinged upon by the staff of rainbow corner using it as their lunch place. Providing more certainty in tenant fund for the WFOR at a time.
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We remain firmly in favour of the Cabin extension of Rainbow Corner.
As a local resident, and regular user of the FOR, I would hope that the proposed cabin construction can be situated and installed so as not to be an eyesore for those living on the boundary of the FOR and also anyone visiting to enjoy the facilities. Perhaps a “living roof” could be considered and also extra foliage planted around the area for the benefit of both the aesthetic and insects and animals.
As parents of 2 young children who attend Rainbow Corner, we have seen first hand that the nursery provision is not only good, it is exceptional. Our girls are thriving, the staff are excellent, the food is nutritious and the forest school element provides such special learning, health and development opportunities. We feel incredibly lucky that our girls can attend Rainbow Corner and feel strongly that it firmly aligns with the community values of the FOR. Local young children are the community and local children should be able to benefit from the development and fun opportunities provided by Rainbow Corner!
Also on a personal note, we would like to increase our girls’ attendance hours from their current 2 mornings a week, when they are 3 next month. Sadly, we cannot be given any more hours until September 2027, which is when they start school! This is absurd. We aren’t even asking for full time, merely another 1 or 2 half days because the girls love it there so much! Not only does this pose a problem for 2 working parents, moreover we feel that our girls (and other local children of course) will miss out on developing their social skills further and enjoying the fun at Rainbow Corner. You only have to look at how happy all the children are to see what we mean.
We urge you to consider all the benefits to local children if the proposed Cabin extension was to go ahead. Our local children need it please.
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Rainbow Corner nursery provides an absolutely vital service to pre-school aged children and their parents in Windlesham, and I support the expansion. I am a parent of two children who attend the nursery and our family lives in Windlesham. As is commonplace in 2025, both of us parents need to work in order to pay our bills; gone are the days when a single income could support a family of four and associated outgoings of running a home.
The childcare landscape in 2025 is a tricky one to navigate. The state does not provide the type of childcare that working parents need, ie to cover the 9am-5pm working day, and throughout the whole year and not just during school term time. Therefore the private childcare sector fills this much-needed gap nationally. There is a national shortage of childcare places of this type, meaning waiting lists are extremely long (1).
I had to book my second child in at 12 weeks pregnant for them to start at Rainbow Corner at 10 months old. Long waiting lists mean it is impossible for those moving to the village to access a space at this nursery, and it is unlikely that first-time parents who are new to the childcare situation will know you need to book your baby in before they are born.
The children have access to a wonderful and rich learning experience at Rainbow Corner. The staff are fantastic and so caring. Beyond that though, the location within the FOR enables the children to have access to outside space, something that is sadly lacking for this generation of children (2).
They have the option to play in the gardens, and also hugely benefit from the opportunity to go for walks in the woods and to Forest School because of the excellent location of the nursery. This exposes the children to so much more than if they were simply inside all day. My daughter is four and she can identify lichen and different species of slug thanks to the teaching she has had in this location! Outdoor learning means Windlesham children will grow up with respect and understanding of our environment and shared spaces, and it has great benefits for mental health and social development (3).
We, as do many other attendees, walk our children to nursery. This provides valuable time for us as a family but is also two fewer car journeys per day through the village. The position right on the field and near the playground means many children go on playing together after nursery, and us parents get a chance to chat and get to know each other. We’ve made many friends within our community precisely because of this.
In September, my eldest will start school. If the nursery opening hours extended to 8am instead of 8.30am, it will make dropping off in two locations so much more bearable. It would also enable me/my husband to walk to nursery drop off and then walk to school drop off, again reducing car journeys through the village.
Reading on the FAQs on the website, it costs £85,000 a year to run the FOR. Without that regular income from the nursery and the café, I imagine we’d be at risk of losing the whole FOR. Public services are so expensive to run, particularly for a small charity like the FOR, and costs are only going to increase in the current climate. I’d so much rather we had much-needed local businesses, employing local people, providing services that are needed and enjoyed by our community, than the field go bankrupt and be sold off.
Much of the opposition to the expansion expressed on the local community Facebook page seems to be about our community assets being used for residents, and for recreation. But children are residents. Our children are enjoying recreation because of the environment this special location offers. They may not be able to contribute to this consultation, but they live in the village and have just as much right to enjoy the FOR as those who can.
---------
We feel this is a very well planned proposal, with a great deal of consideration to the area and community.
We are a family that have waited 3 years to be able to get our children into nurseries in Windlesham as there have been no spaces, despite getting on waiting lists while pregnant. Additional spaces are very much needed to cater for local families. We have had to travel outside of the area for childcare spaces. The proposal to extend the hours is considerate to car park users and also helpful to working families.
It will also allow hard working staff there to have a proper staff room break out space, away from public and the children, important for staff morale and wellbeing.
Overall we are very much in favour of this proposal, which will have minimal impact on the community spaces but make a big difference to local families.
----------
It should come as no surprise to anyone that childcare settings are in high demand. The pressure on parents returning to work and sorting childcare is huge and when parents are faced with 18 months wait lists we jeopardise parents, mostly mothers returning to work.
I have to say, I am surprised by the negativity around this proposal which screams of entitlement from the local community. I presume none of these people can hold any empathy for local families and assume none of them have ever been in this situation themselves. It comes across as selfish and the antithesis of what we want from a community.
I have had children attend the nursery 5 days per week from August 2020 and I can say with absolute certainty I have NEVER on any SINGLE occasion ever had an issue with parking. The increase in families using this facility is not huge and I see no major reason why this should impact anyone in anyway.
----------
This setting is truly an amazing place for the younger members of the Windlesham community to flourish and be in their early years. Both my daughters have attended the setting and I feel fortunate that they could do so.
The expansion not only supports the need for parents to return to work and provide for their families but also gives the new generation of our community the most amazing pre-school experience.
I know there have been concerns raised around parking, but can confirm over the last 3 years I’ve been making regular drop offs and pick ups, this has never been an issue. Most parents stagger their drop offs pick ups times so the car park is never busy at a specific time. The only time I have struggled to park is at weekends when the field holds sporting events.
I hope my support as a local resident is taken in to account.
----------
The Rainbow Corner Nursery has consistently demonstrated excellent provision of care, earning the trust and appreciation of local families, including my own. This expansion is crucial to accommodate the growing demand, as evidenced by the current one-year waiting list. Local families need this provision to ensure that their children receive the best early education and care.
Moreover, if Windlesham is to be a place where young families can truly thrive, it is essential to have sufficient nursery provision. This will enable families to flourish and contribute positively to the community. The presence of the nursery adds significant value to the Remembrance Field, far beyond mere commercial benefits. It brings more families to the hub, enhancing the use of the café facilities and creating a bustling, safer area for everyone.
In conclusion, the expansion of the Rainbow Corner Nursery is not just beneficial but necessary for the continued growth and prosperity of our community. We wholeheartedly support this initiative and look forward to seeing it come to fruition.
----------
I think that this is an excellent idea for the following reasons.
- There is a clear need for more nursery places
- Disruption will be minimal
- The design fits the ethos of the forest school
So its a massive yes.
----------
Thank you for all the information provided. We are really looking forward to the benefits as a young family in the village!
----------
Thankyou. Excellent presentation. I came in as 50:50 & your team have sold me the idea of expansion. Well done.
Two thoughts/requests:
1. Please put lights on the back wall of the cabin to light the way past in winter/at night. And please make a path to walk on. The narrowed area will become very dark and unattractive.
2. The Forest School area. Please put a notice up at F.S. saying the public are welcome to enjoy F.S. at weekends/out of nursery hours. So that we feel it is shared space.
----------
Thank you for such an informative evening, it was great to see the layout & speak to the Trustees. We look forward to the benefits the young families will receive. Thanks again.
----------
Really happy with this proposal as it helps massively with working parents like myself. The staff absolutely need their own space to take their break.
----------
Supportive of the proposal. As newly expecting parents, the extra capacity is much welcomed.
----------
Supportive of the new proposal. I am expecting our first child, the waiting list is long and this nursery has the right environment.
--------
The proposal being made makes sense both in terms of serving the needs within the village for child/nursery care. Freeing up the library space which has been badly impinged upon by the staff of rainbow corner using it as their lunch place. Providing more certainty in tenant fund for the WFOR at a time.
----------
We remain firmly in favour of the Cabin extension of Rainbow Corner.
As a local resident, and regular user of the FOR, I would hope that the proposed cabin construction can be situated and installed so as not to be an eyesore for those living on the boundary of the FOR and also anyone visiting to enjoy the facilities. Perhaps a “living roof” could be considered and also extra foliage planted around the area for the benefit of both the aesthetic and insects and animals.
As parents of 2 young children who attend Rainbow Corner, we have seen first hand that the nursery provision is not only good, it is exceptional. Our girls are thriving, the staff are excellent, the food is nutritious and the forest school element provides such special learning, health and development opportunities. We feel incredibly lucky that our girls can attend Rainbow Corner and feel strongly that it firmly aligns with the community values of the FOR. Local young children are the community and local children should be able to benefit from the development and fun opportunities provided by Rainbow Corner!
Also on a personal note, we would like to increase our girls’ attendance hours from their current 2 mornings a week, when they are 3 next month. Sadly, we cannot be given any more hours until September 2027, which is when they start school! This is absurd. We aren’t even asking for full time, merely another 1 or 2 half days because the girls love it there so much! Not only does this pose a problem for 2 working parents, moreover we feel that our girls (and other local children of course) will miss out on developing their social skills further and enjoying the fun at Rainbow Corner. You only have to look at how happy all the children are to see what we mean.
We urge you to consider all the benefits to local children if the proposed Cabin extension was to go ahead. Our local children need it please.
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Comments Received in Objection to the Cabin
(from comment cards and emails)
We do not agree with a building being put upon the Field of Remembrance that is owned by a separate company. The field is not the place for this. It is the thin end of the wedge and must not be allowed.
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The event last week was not a “consultation” in any accepted sense of the word, although it may well be enough of a “tick in the box” exercise for the owners of Rainbow Corner to convince SHBC Planning that they have “consulted”.
I was being told all evening that Trustees and Rainbow Nursery were “working as partners” and it is well-documented that the Trustees had already expressed support for this expansion long before the display of plans last week.
But, as Trustees, you don’t have a responsibility to your tenants to help them “sell” their expansion plans to the residents.
In contrast, you have agreed to serve as Trustees on behalf of around 4,000 people (the beneficiaries of the Trust) - any of whom could decide to challenge the legality of your actions.
Whatever you decide to do in this particular case will almost certainly divide opinions - there is no getting away from that. But you would surely want to know that you are at least operating within the express provisions of the Trust document - if only to know that you are not personally exposed financially as a consequence of whatever action you decide to take.
If you exclude the Rainbow Corner staff, the WFoR Trustees and Committee members, then the attendance at last week’s event was probably well under 1% of the village population. Whatever came out from those conversations can’t in any way be considered representative given such a low level of participation.
In reality, you are not going to be personally sued by a tenant for not being helpful enough in their desire to expand their business - any real risk to yourselves arising from actions beyond the powers granted by the Trust documents comes from the community on whose behalf you are operating. I would personally want to be confident that no such exposure exists by taking appropriate expert advice.
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As a resident of Windlesham, I would like to submit my objection to Rainbow Corner building a cabin on the Field of Remembrance. Although, as a father to a 1 year old, I recognise the need for sufficient childcare services (the only real reason given for the cabin to be built), I strongly object to land which is given to the community of Windlesham to be used by a commercial organisation. The fact that the FoR committee is allowing a commercial organisation to not only put in a planning request to build on village land but also to then own the building and use it however they want is unacceptable and asks serious questions about the role of the committee.
