For nearly 15 years, Riverside Cottage Nursery has been a cornerstone of our community in West Lothian. As one of the first outdoor-based kindergartens in Scotland, we've been continually recognised for our exceptional practice through regular inspections and awards, and have contributed significantly to numerous research projects, policy documents, books, and academic studies - working with multiple universities in the UK and across the world. We're proud to be a local small business that provides secure, meaningful jobs with extremely low staff turnover - and as the first real living-wage nursery in Scotland!

Our mission goes beyond just being an early education provider. We are committed to offering high-quality outdoor early years services that local families rely on for their children's care and education. Furthermore, educators from across Scotland and internationally visit us regularly to learn from us, while we provide training, workshops, talks, and consultancy globally.

We have had this success because we work with extremely high staff:child ratios, with very low numbers of children, and put children's care and education over profit. This has only been possible because we run this service from our home on 'lowland crofting' land. This was a planning initiative in our area to encourage sustainable, socially-just, economic development and low-density housing that adds value to communities, local economies and nature. The perfect location for a small, outdoor kindergarten!

However, this vital community asset is under threat due to new neighbours who wish to close us down in favour of a more private, almost gated community, where they can feel 'safe' without local people coming by their house. If successful in closing us down, it would not only affect the livelihoods of those employed by the nursery but also deprive local families of an essential service they depend upon. It would also destroy an important, active member of the early years community across Scotland and the world. The desires of a few neighbours should not outweigh the needs of our entire community - especially given they chose to move in next to this already established setting.

We believe it's crucial that planning councillors understand what's at stake here - not just for us as a business but more importantly for the wider community we serve. That not only is this a suitable location for the nursery as identified by planners multiple times, but one of the few suitable locations to have a setting of such high quality!

Let's stand together to convince councillors that it is worth keeping this successful local business alive and preserve Riverside Cottage Nursery as an integral part of our community fabric.

Please sign this petition urging planning councillors not to shut down Riverside Cottage Nursery!