Locals are furious over plans for the huge wheel at a shopping centre in Kent. Bosses at a nursery directly below where the wheel would be labelled the wheel a ‘vanity project’
Furious locals have slammed plans for an “intrusive” giant ferris wheel at a retail park – saying it would look directly into their gardens and ruin their privacy. Residents living next to Ashford Designer Outlet in Ashford, Kent, say the proposed 33-metre (108ft) structure would allow riders to peer into their homes just across from it.
Managers at a nursery directly below where the wheel would be labelled the wheel a ‘vanity project’ and claimed they weren’t even consulted on proposals. They say the observation wheel would also pose safeguarding issues for children at the nursery.
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Meanwhile, other locals questioned who would want to get a birdseye view of the area – saying there’s nothing to see but ‘buildings’. Planning documents for the wheel, which would boast 24 separate gondolas, state that it would operate six months a year for the next five years.
The giant structure, which would be as tall as around eight double-decker buses stacked on top of one another, would be installed next to a play area on seven disabled parking spaces, which would be relocated elsewhere.
However, managers at the Cherrytree Nursery School, which would be directly below the wheel and has existed there for over 36 years – over a decade longer than the designer outlet, which opened in 2000 – say it would impede their privacy.
The nursery was also outraged at not having been listed as an interested party in the planning application, claiming they were instead listed as a ‘neighbour’.
Marianne Everett, part of the management team at the nursery, says the structure would look straight down on them, raising safeguarding and privacy concerns for its children.
“It’s not the idea of it, it’s the positioning – it just seems like it’s completely in the wrong place,” the 42-year-old said. “[The wheel] would look straight down on us. It’s a vanity project. It’s not necessary.
“If we were an actual school, they would have listed us as an interested party. I was gobsmacked that they hadn’t considered the local community.
“We were listed as a neighbour, essentially. In their proposal, they have not put that there’s a big nursery next door. It’s not like we have a few children, we are up to 108 on the roll. It’s a huge nursery.
“Its positioning feels like a bit of a kick in the [teeth].There’s not really anything else to look at here. If it was in town, it might be in a more interesting area.
“We have a wide range of children from different backgrounds and, with some, there’s limited contact with certain members of family and others outside the family.
“The fact that people could look in and even try and take photos of the children feels really unnerving. As the nursery’s safeguarding lead, it’s a real worry for me. It’s not something you could easily rectify as well.
“It’s so high that no matter what you do, they are going to see the children. We have children on court orders with special educational needs. It’s just very frustrating, the fact that we found out by being listed as a neighbour; we have been here for over 35 years.”
“It’s next to us and a residential area. I could understand if they wanted it next to where the car park is, as that’s next to a park and the whole carriageway, which wouldn’t impede anyone’s privacy.”
Ms Everett added that the wheel could also increase traffic around what’s already a ‘really difficult’ junction, saying: “If there were any additional traffic, it would be horrendous.”
Local resident Lucy Ralph, also worries riders on the wheel would be able to look at her grandson playing in the grass outside her flat block.
“I don’t see the point in it,” the 50-year-old said. “It’s not a fairground, it’s an outlook centre. It’s Ashford; there’s nothing to see up there apart from buildings.
“The nursery is worried about people looking at them in the garden out the back. My grandson plays outside the front as well. It’s a private area. The flats here have lots of children who play out all summer with paddling pools and all sorts. It would hit their privacy.”
Sarah Mabb, another local grandmother and mum-of-five, agreed. “They would be able to see our babies,” the 44-year-old said. “It’s a bit intrusive. I wouldn’t be happy at all if my children went to the nursery. You just don’t know, do you? There are some strange people around.”
In a statement, Cherrytree Nursery School added that it hoped ‘common sense’ would prevail, resulting in the application for the wheel at its current proposed location being rejected.
“Cherrytree Nursery School prioritises putting children first,” the statement reads. The observation wheel will be at a height and placement that will directly look over our building and our wide-open outdoor play space.
“The nursery believes that vulnerable families should be safe to attend, including those fleeing domestic violence and others who may be concerned that court orders to prevent access, or details regarding attendance, are all put at risk due to a vanity project.
“Cherrytree Nursery School is also open over the school holidays in addition to term time; therefore, stating that the observation wheel is seasonal will still have a significant negative impact.
“The observation wheel at the designer outlet at first seems like an asset to the area. However, its precise placement is set to be a disaster for traffic, [an] invasion of privacy for those in the neighbourhood, and has the potential to put children in danger.
“Hopefully, the observation wheel’s placement will be more thoroughly considered and the current proposal rejected, as common sense dictates it must.”
Another local, Silvia Worrell, however, thinks the plan for the wheel should be given the green light. “It doesn’t really bother me, as long as they don’t park here,” the 73-year-old grandmother of seven said. “We have got the Designer Outlet sticking up anyway.”
The McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Ashford declined to comment whilst the application for the ferris wheel is still being considered.
