A BELSIZE Park nursery faces tough times after Camden Council refused planning permission for its conservatory. Chalcot Montessori School in Chalcot Gardens applied for retrospective permission for a conservatory built two years ago. But neighbours claim

A BELSIZE Park nursery faces tough times after Camden Council refused planning permission for its conservatory.

Chalcot Montessori School in Chalcot Gardens applied for retrospective permission for a conservatory built two years ago. But neighbours claim it is a blight to the area and councillors have issued an enforcement notice.

Hazel Morfey and daughter Joanna, who run the school, said the decision will have a detrimental effect on the Montessori.

Mrs Morfey said: "We will definitely be appealing once we have received the notice from the council telling us what we have to do.

"We are going to fight to the end. The children have benefited greatly from the natural light and space in the conservatory."

On behalf of himself and other neighbours moving in, Dr Paul Flower said: "Our first point must be that none of us have ever sought closure of the school but are simply objecting to the new structure.

"It is our understanding that the school has functioned well for almost 20 years without the enlarged conservatory and we see no reason why it cannot continue to do so.

"The objection to the conservatory is essentially that it is very large, ugly and particularly intrusive to the next door property and is over three times the area of that which it replaced.

"It is a great glass and plastic box which projects into the garden, and if illuminated at night becomes even more prominent.