Parents were stunned when their toddlers couldn’t get into their Camberwell nursery this morning.
Parents at 1st Place nursery in Cambridge House, who were forced to find alternative childcare this morning (Friday, February 3), say their “blood is boiling”.
The News understands that 1st Place hadn’t been able to conclude a lease agreement with the landlord EatWorkArt (EWA) before a deadline, resulting in staff having the premises closed off to them this morning.
This evening, EWA released a statement saying it “understands… the upset” caused by the “temporary unavoidable closure” and that 1st Place has now regained access to the premises.
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A parent said they were told early last month of plans to shut, but that the sudden closure, which they were told by the nursery was allegedly was instigated by EWA, came as a complete shock.
At 10.25pm last night, parents reportedly received an email from 1st Place saying: “Due to unforeseen actions by Eatworkart, we are unable to access Cambridge House.
“Nursery today (Friday 3rd January) and the service is closed…. We apologise sincerely for the lack of notice, but this is due to the actions of the owners of the building.”
Alex Ramage, 33, from Camberwell, whose nineteen-month-old daughter attends the nursery, said: “All the parents of the nursery are flapping around, going a bit mad… our blood is boiling.”
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Southwark Council Leader Kieron Williams stepped in earlier today and, in a letter to EWA, said it was “an entirely unacceptable way for any business to act”.
“It is an entirely inappropriate and unacceptable way for any business to act, certainly one that purports to be a social enterprise ‘centered around bringing people together’.
“1st Place is a much loved nursery and a vital part of our community in Camberwell and while I am aware they have plans to relocate in the near future, this has to be agreed with good notice and at the least disruptive moment for staff, families and the children involved.”
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He urged EWA to apologise to parents and allow 1st Place to resume operation “until a mutually agreed move can be facilitated”.
EWA, which runs flexible workspaces around London, reportedly bought the Cambridge House site last year.
According to the company’s website, it is “inspired by the passions and interests of our residents and the wider community”.
Parents are holding a meeting with First Place this evening to discuss a course of action.
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In a statement, EWA said: “1st Place and Eat Work Art had reached an agreement in recent weeks, however, due to a deadline which was out of the control of both parties, we were unable to conclude. This unfortunately resulted in the unavoidable temporary closure of the nursery. We have been actively working together to resolve this today and are pleased to confirm that 1st Place has now regained access to their space at Cornerstone Studios and can continue to operate as usual.
“Despite all of our efforts both to avoid this situation and to rectify it as quickly as possible, we understand the disruption and upset that this day of closure has caused parents and the local community. We are glad to have overcome this challenging situation and look forward to working with 1st Place in the coming months.”
1st Place was approached for comment.