Fears have been raised over the safety of families using a dangerous junction to drop children off at nursery.
The Stramash group has been taking young children on outdoor expeditions around Aldroughty, just off the A96 Inverness to Aberdeen road on the outskirts of Elgin, since August.
The outdoor learning group was given permission to use the Badgers Wood site in May, on the proviso that a 23-space car park be created near the turn-off.
But local residents claim the suggested development would create risky bottlenecks at a junction known for accidents and near-misses.
And, since beginning to use the woods in August, Stramash has been bringing its youngsters – aged between two and five – to the site en masse in a minibus departing from Spynie Hall.
Yesterday the nursery group asked Moray Council to scrap the condition that it create a car park in favour of using the bus on a full-time basis.
But the council’s planning committee unanimously decided to keep the condition intact – saying it would be unable to enforce any rules on Stramsh continuing to use remote drop-off points.
Chris Tuke, chairman of the council’s planning committee, said that, under planning auspices, the local authority’s hands were tied on the matter.
Council convener Allan Wright argued that especially in poor weather, it was likely that parents would choose to take their youngsters directly to the woodland area rather than a drop-off point.
He added: “I was never happy with the complicated system of dropping children off at one destination and then taking them to another for lessons.
“I’m positive that, especially in bad weather, parents will just take their children to Aldroughty and that will become common practice.”
However, neighbours around the site believe the placement of the nursery is putting road users at risk by enticing an influx of traffic at the minor junction.
Resident Neil Laing says that creating a car park so close to the turn-off, which is slightly west of the Oakwood Cookery School, was “the worst thing that could happen” to the secluded hamlet.
The 55-year-old added: “Cars come at such a speed along the A96, and it can take a few minutes to get out at the best of times.
“Building a car park there would multiply that tenfold, if not more.
“The idea of kids learning outdoors is a nice one, but this just isn’t a suitable place for it.”
Neighbour Alison Miller added: “The whole access issue has caused a great deal of concern and worry.
“Creating a car park could mean 20 or more cars at specific times trying to leave and access a particularly difficult stretch of the A96.
“The situation is beyond ridiculous.”
Anna-Christina Sollind, who lives in a cottage at Alrdroughty, added: “We have opposed this whole planning application since the very beginning.”
Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: “Our main concern is that there’s going to be an accident at that junction.
“There have been a lot of near-misses and accidents in that area.”
The Stramash outdoors nursery group is currently based at Spynie Hall, roughly a mile north of Aldroughty.
In a statement to the council’s planning committee, a Stramash spokesman said using the minibus would cause “no material increase in use of the road”.
Members will continue to operate the minibus while a permanent solution is sought.
