A LOCAL authority education boss has hit back at a claim town hall officers failed to factor in the cost of a new play area and car parking when pricing the long-awaited transfer of a Blackburn nursery to a new home.

On Thursday night Blackburn with Darwen Council's executive board approved an extra £423,000 to allow the move of Longshaw Nursery School, in Crosby Road, to the nearby Longshaw Infants site.

Livesey with Pleasington Conservative Mark Russell claimed the extra cash was needed because the original cost estimate failed to account for the external works.

But the borough's education boss Cllr Julie Gunn has told him: "There was no failure to include play areas in the original plan."

Cllr Russell tabled a question to the meeting saying: "The report relating to school capital variations requests a £423,000 budget increase for the relocation of Longshaw Nursery.

"It states this is due to the original budget failing to include for external works such as a play area and car parking.

"Can you confirm that the original tender did not include the required external works?

"Please can you explain how the council managed to commission construction of a new nursery building without realising it would needing external works such as a play area or car parking?"

Cllr Gunn replied: "Questions around the requirements of the planning authority have arisen as a consequence of the original approach of delivering the project over a number of phases in addition to concerns expressed by ward councillors around the adequacy of parking provision.

"The combination of needing to deliver the project in a single phase, alongside tender price inflation and project enhancements, have required the uplift.

"These enhancements have been made as a consequence of the need to protect tree root systems and the desire to provide children with natural outdoor play spaces

"The enhanced outdoor play areas are an extension to the original planned outdoor spaces, to ensure that our youngest children have every opportunity to explore the natural world and benefit from an outdoor-led curriculum.

"A phased approach was advised as the most efficient way to get the nursery open as soon as possible.

"The car park has been extended in response to concerns raised by the ward councillors on behalf of residents, as well as the planning authority.

"As work progressed, it became evident the play areas were becoming constrained by the building work.

"Therefore, to ensure adequate provision, additional and enhanced outdoor play space has been identified.

"So, there was no failure to include play areas in the original plan or request in 2021."