THE owners of a successful children’s soft play business near Thornbury claim decisions by local planning bosses are jeopardising the company’s future.

Gemma Riden and Paul Nicoll opened Jungle Chums on Green Lane, Milbury Heath, last autumn but less than a year later the couple say the business is being penalised by planning officers at South Gloucestershire Council who were originally against the development.

Earlier this year the couple applied for a change of use to a small patch of land near their business to act as an overflow car park when the soft play centre is busy, to stop visitors parking along Green Lane.

Despite having 12 parking spaces there are times when some visitors are forced to park in the lane.

The application was turned down by the planning authority on the grounds it would encourage people to use cars rather than other forms of transport and would provide too many parking spaces.

Ms Riden said: "People can see the good that we are doing. We are a thriving local business, and play is good for children.

"We just want to find somewhere safe for the children and parents to park, and we are trying to keep the residents happy to get parking off the lane."

The original change of use application, which converted a farm building into the soft play business, was recommended for refusal by planning officers at South Gloucestershire because of concerns about parking and increased traffic but was later approved by the council’s development control committee.

Ms Riden said: "We’ve invested our money into this business and we are not getting any support from the local council, just because they didn’t support our original application.

"They need to realise the importance of this application. If people can’t park they won’t come again. The council being difficult may ruin the business."

The couple plan to resubmit the car park application and are looking for letters of support from customers and the local community.

A spokesman for the council said: "The council has planning policies in relation to parking at developments and this is considered as part of any application.

"There have been previous applications to use this land for additional parking and there was a planning appeal in 2009 where a planning inspector, who is independent of the local authority, determined that there was sufficient on-site parking and that the use of this site in addition would result in an undesirable increase in car journeys.

"We do support local businesses, and are certainly not ‘against’ any business, but we have to apply planning policy fairly and have to take into account the earlier decision of the planning inspector at the appeal."