A brand new 50-place children's nursery has opened alongside new offices on a housing development.

The Woods Nursery in Cliffe Woods, near Rochester has been officially opened in the landmark moment alongside the 94-home estate off Town Road.

It is owned and managed by the Montessori Group and will be open to children aged between six months and five years.

Four new office spaces have been opened in a barn-style building and two units are now occupied by Medway-based companies.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to mark the completion of the project, which was built by Longfield-based developers Esquire.

Sam Groombridge, managing director of the Montessori Group, said: “A chance meeting with the directors at Esquire has led to The Woods Nursery, which will provide high-quality child-led care that blends an academic focus with play in an amazing new nursery.

“The nursery enables our eight staff, including qualified carers and early years teachers, to offer affordable, yet premium quality childcare, which includes extra-curricular sessions of sports, drama, dance and even language learning.

"The nursery will provide high-quality child-led care that blends an academic focus with play"

“We are confident the success of The Woods will lead to further collaborations with the team at Esquire as they continue to develop high-quality housing developments throughout Kent and Medway.”

The nursery has two dedicated outdoor play areas with gardens for children to learn against the backdrop of the existing woodland.

All of the 94 houses have been purchased following planning permission in 2019.

David Braddon, director of Esquire Developments, said: “Cliffe Woods is delivering on the promises made when we announced our plans for this site.

"We are pleased to help the community meet its demand for local nursery places for young families, as well as high-quality new offices and homes for Medway.

"It was a pleasure to attend the opening and be a part of the start of the educational journey of the nursery’s first intake."

One of the occupied units is taken by Classicus Estates, a property development firm which is behind plans to convert the former Rootes dealership building in Maidstone town centre previously used by Peugeot into 159 apartments.

The other space is taken by Hall and Costello Wealth Management.

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