A PLAN for a children's nursery in a mainly residential area of Wilmslow has raised fresh fears about traffic and noise and reignited a controversy surrounding the commercial use of a former guesthouse that was once a family home.

Borough planners have received an application for a 36-place children's nursery at 90 Manchester Road, which was previously the Hollow Bridge Guest House until earlier this year.

Applicant Sarah Bailey-Jones, of East Avenue, Heald Green, has submitted a preliminary application to Macclesfield Borough Council, seeking full planning permission to change the use of the building to a nursery.

She describes herself as a prospective buyer of the property. And in the paperwork, she says the development would include space for a family to live on-site.

An extension or alteration is proposed to the property, and there would also be vehicle access.

The plan will be considered by the borough council in coming weeks. No recommendation has yet been made by planners.

Last year, a different application was submitted for the property by another business applicant, seeking permission to turn it into commercial offices.

At the time, the proposal led some neighbours to object on the grounds of traffic safety and car parking provision for office staff.

Now, some of those neighbours are again planning to object to the new plan for a nursery.

Ann Worthington, of 92 Manchester Road, accepted there were one or two other businesses in the area, such as dental surgeries, but she claimed Manchester Road's overall character was residential.

She said: "All the neighbours are up-in-arms about this. We just want the building to go back to being a home again. This is a residential area and No 90 should never have become a business property.

"If the nursery goes ahead, children will have to be dropped-off in the morning and picked up in the afternoon. And if the children are aged two or three, I understand nurseries have to employ one member of staff for every four children. If so, that would mean there would be around nine members of staff who'd need car parking space. There's just not enough space. We are all going to write to the borough council again, to stall this application.

"In addition to our concerns about cars, we're also a bit worried about the noise 36 children might make."

Referring to last year's application to turn the property into offices, she recalled: "Some of our concerns then were raised at the borough's planning meeting. And local councillors, including Jim Crockatt, were against that plan. But permission was given, although the office scheme ultimately didn't go-ahead."

Now, Mrs Worthington say she has come across a covenant governing the use of the garden at No 90. She believes this states no activities should be allowed which would cause nuisances to neighbours. So she hopes this may strengthen objections to the nursery.

The Wilmslow Express left a message with Ms Bailey-Jones on Tuesday, offering her the chance to comment, but there was no response.