A PROPOSAL to convert a former retail unit on a Grays shopping parade into a day nursery and tuition centre is being recommended for refusal amid dozens of objections and concerns over parking, highway safety and the loss of retail space.

Thurrock Council's planning committee will consider the application for the shop in Kingston Parade, Hathaway Road, on Tuesday (14 April).

The scheme seeks permission to turn the ground floor unit into a nursery for up to 18 children on weekdays, with additional language and religious studies classes for up to 40 students at weekends.

The applicant said they aimed to support the local community by providing childcare in the form of a nursery and "offer a caring service as well as a professional one, enthusing the children in their care from an early age to learn about their environment and encourage their natural curiosity and eagerness to discover and understand things".

Although no external alterations are proposed, planning officers say the change of use would remove a Class E retail unit from a designated shopping parade without evidence that the existing use is no longer viable.

Applicants are required to demonstrate that a retail unit cannot be sustained before it can be replaced by another use.

A previous proposal to convert the site into a place of worship was refused in 2023, with the subsequent appeal dismissed.

The council's Highway Authority has raised "substantial concerns" over the lack of compliant parking, unsafe access, and the absence of a dedicated pick up and drop off area—an essential requirement for nursery operations.

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The submitted layout shows only three parking spaces, including one disabled bay, but the available area is too shallow to accommodate standard parking bay sizes. There is also no dropped kerb providing lawful vehicle access.

Thirty letters of objection were submitted by residents citing noise, traffic and parking concerns.

The council's education team has also issued a holding objection, highlighting the lack of information on how the nursery would meet statutory early years standards, as well as limited evidence of local demand given existing capacity in nearby nurseries.

Planning officers conclude that the scheme conflicts with local highway and retail protection policies and therefore should be refused.

The application has been called in for committee scrutiny by eight councillors.

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