Kids Allowed opens £1.5m flagship green nursery
Kids Allowed, the Manchester-based nursery group, has opened the doors to its newest and most sustainable centre in TraffordCity, and pledged its commitment to significantly reducing the group’s carbon footprint by 2020.
Opening on schedule the £1.5m purpose-built facility opposite Intu Trafford Centre takes the childcare group’s number of nurseries to eight and represents significant progress towards the firm’s sustainability goal.
The contemporary building, developed by Peel Land and Property, is located next to the Venus building at TraffordCity, situated off Junction 10 of the M60.
Featuring Manchester’s first Urbanscape green roof system, which enhances local air quality, the design and infrastructure of the nursery has achieved the highest Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) A rating as well as a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating, which ranks the building in the top 25% of UK new non-domestic buildings for environmental performance.
Solar photovoltaic panels are also installed on the roof to provide the building with a supplement of clean, low carbon energy.
Founder and chief executive, Jennie Johnson, said: “We operate in an industry that has a significant impact on the planet.
“We understand our part in that and we are committed to doing everything we can to address it.
“We’ve got to do our bit to change things. We’re in the business of giving children the very best start in life and the very best futures, looking after their planet is just another part of that.”
She added: “Peel’s committment to the green roof concept at TraffordCity has supported us in our mission to reduce our impact on the environment.
“As well as being a beautiful and unique feature, it reduces the running costs of our nursery, allowing us to invest in other green measures across the group.”
Johnson introduced biodegradable nappies in 2013 long before others considered the issue and today she is actively reviewing the firm’s policies and procedures to drastically reduce the group’s reliance on single-use plastics.
At TraffordCity she has introduced Kids Allowed reusable mugs to replace the disposable cups for parents who enjoy free teas and coffees at drop offs. They will be rolled out across the group in the coming weeks.
Paul Chappels, head of asset management for TraffordCity, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Kids Allowed to TraffordCity and wish the team the very best success with the new centre.
“The sustainable BREEAM-accredited new build, with solar power and the first urban green roof, is testament to our commitment to a cleaner, greener city region and our continued work with the University of Manchester will help shape our future sustainable developments.”
The nursery business, founded in 2003, is one of the region’s flagship female-led firms, employing more than 450 team members looking after around 2,000 children across eight centres, from babies to five year-olds.
The TraffordCity project follows the opening of its Altrincham centre in May this year.
In 2016 Kids Allowed completed its first acquisition after a successful tender process with the NHS to take over the running of its workplace nursery on the Wythenshawe site – now known as University Hospital South Manchester.
The nursery was inspected by Ofsted last month and graded Outstanding, meaning all Kids Allowed centres that have been inspected have achieved the highest grade possible.
Recognised as trailblazers in the childcare sector for their award-winning apprenticeship schemes and approach to company culture, Kids Allowed continues with its recruitment drive as it celebrates 15 years in business.
