‘Forest kindergarten’ nursery planned near rural Somerset cricket club

A new “forest” nursery could be built near a rural Somerset cricket club if plans are approved.

Rebecca Moore runs Lille and Wild, a pre-school education provider which is based in the small village of Stogumber near the local Post Office and the White Horse Inn.

Mrs Moore has applied to build a new log cabin-style facility on land near Stogumber Cricket Club, at the eastern edge of the village.

Somerset Council is expected to make a decision on the plans by the early-spring, allowing the facility to potentially open ahead of the new school year.

The new log cabin will be built to the east of the cricket pitch and pavilion, covering 30 sq m with an all-weather veranda.

Up to 20 children between three months and five years old will be able to receive education on-site during term time (along with holiday clubs), with the facility employing four members of staff.

A spokesperson for Polden Planning (representing the applicant) said: “The nursery is intended to deliver upon an identified need in a catchment where there are currently no early years settings in place.

“Stogumber Forest Nursery would provide a fully outdoor, rural nursery setting, unique to Somerset and founded on the principle that the provision of an amazing outdoor environment can offer pre-school children with enhanced learning outcomes and experiences.

“A new early years setting in Stogumber would provide benefits to the local community in terms of service provision and self-containment, and also encourage uptake for the existing primary school catchment roll.

“It would meet a demonstrated need for early years provision which is currently unmet within a ‘desert’ for such facilities.”

The catchment area for the new nursery will include numerous small villages between the Quantock Hills national landscape and the eastern edge of the Exmoor national park – including Bicknoller, Crowcombe, Lydeard St Lawrence and Monksilver.

Stogumer Parish Council is expected to give its views on the plans at its January meeting, with Somerset Council expected to make a final decision by late-March 2026.

If approval is forthcoming by this date, the new nursery is expected to be operational by September 2026.