A shortage of pre-school places has prompted one Suffolk village to consider turning a former workshop into a 50-placed school in a new "transformative" project.
Councillor Chris Chambers said that the growing demand for high-quality pre-school education in Barham and the neighbouring villages made him take on a project towards opening a new school within the area.
He is working with Barham Parish Council, Barham Picnic Site Community Project Charity Group and Suffolk County Council to repurpose a workshop in the village using available funding.
Cllr Chambers said: “I'm aware of the early years provision shortage. It has been influenced by a few things, including the increase in housing development in the area and the government lowering the free childcare age limit from three years down to nine months.
“While working on a separate issue within my division, I’ve also noticed the shortage of day nurseries in the area.”
Cllr Chambers said that this issue made him wonder what building in Barham could accommodate a pre-school.
He added that he had a “positive feeling” after viewing the workshop site, which is currently undergoing numerous inspections to accommodate an early years provision in the near future.
Cllr Chambers said: “There is a quite significant sum from the Community Infrastructure Levy that has been allocated towards an early years provision in the Gipping Valley area.
“That could be enough to repurpose the workshop site, providing that there are no hidden problems with the building.”
The Suffolk councillor added that the project will be “transformative” for the area.
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Cllr Chambers continued: “There are not enough early years, and that has a big impact on local families.
“The area has grown enormously over the last 10 years. We have lots of young families and want to provide necessary educational provisions for them and their children.
"The aim is ambitious: to create over 50 pre-school places, providing a brighter future for local families, and ensuring that no child is left without access to exceptional early years education."
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