NURSERY operators have revealed plans to open a childcare facility which would bring a jobs boost to the region.

Kindercare is hoping to open a 100-place nursery for children aged between three months and five years, on part of a former university campus site in Ripon.

And owners of the Harrogate nursery chain say the development on the 51-acre site, soon to be vacated by the College of Ripon and York St John, will create about 30 jobs.

The company, which is owned by husband and wife team Janet and Martyn Standeven, already employs 100 staff, who care for 1,800 children at its five nurseries throughout Yorkshire.

The new site in Ripon is part of Kindercare's expansion plans for next year, which also include the opening of a 140-place nursery at Hornbeam Park, Harrogate, in the summer.

Mrs Standeven said: "We had been looking to open a facility in Ripon for some time as many of the parents whose children we care for in Harrogate actually travel from Ripon, claiming a lack of high quality nursery care in the city.

"We are hoping to take a one-acre site on the new development, allowing for a large play area and outdoor facilities within the picturesque grounds."

The site was acquired earlier this year by Highstone Estates, a property company headed by chartered surveyor Richard Sykes.

Mr Sykes said: "Kindercare's plans for a nursery facility in Ripon will provide a much-needed service for the local community.

"It also complements our vision for a mixed and integrated development of the site, which will provide real benefits for the city of Ripon."

A team from Highstone Estates has met council planning officers to discuss the future use of the site and detailed proposals are expected to be submitted for consideration next month.

The news follows the recent announcement by Liverpool Hope University College that it will be offering Post Graduate Certificates in Education from the old teaching block on the Ripon campus, from September.