A NEW £600,000 nursery with places for 80 children at the Royal Bolton Hospital is planned by health chiefs.

The nursery -- in the staff "village" adjoining the hospital -- will be available for all health workers, including doctors, nurses and ambulance staff.

But the decision will result in the closure of the smaller, High Meadows Nursery, also on the hospital site, which currently has 33 places.

The closure of the privately-run day nursery has angered parents who have children at High Meadows.

Owner of the long established nursery, Pamela Grundy, said parents were up in arms about the closure plan. The move to build a bigger nursery, and create more places, is part of a policy by hospital chiefs to improve conditions for all health workers.

It will be built behind the staff sports and social club, off Minerva Road, Farnworth, and if given the go-ahead will open in September 2003.

Plans for the building have been submitted to Bolton Council for approval.

Hospital chiefs confirmed that a private nursery on the site, with 33 places, would "unfortunately be closed".

Mrs Grundy has been invited to apply to run the new nursery, but will be competing with other organisations for the right to operate it.

She said: "Obviously, we are very upset. The hospital have been very up front about everything and we are excited for them because there is definitely a need for more nursery places on the site.

"But we can't understand why we haven't been given the tender straight away.

"Parents are understandably upset about this. We've been here a long time and have had excellent Ofsted reports."

High Meadows provides day care for 33 children and has nine staff who are now facing an uncertain future.

A hospital spokesman said: "Parents have already been consulted by our childcare development worker.

"It is a legal requirement that we put the nursery out to tender. We realise that High Meadows has a very good quality of childcare but we have no choice but to put this out to tender."

The new nursery will offer subsidised places and holiday schemes in addition to before and after school facilities.