More than 400 animals are facing being put down after neighbours complained about the noise coming from the rescue sanctuary. The Happy Pants Ranch – which cares for pigs, cats and dogs – moved to the site in Newington, near Sittingbourne, Kent back in 2021.
The 20-acre animal sanctuary was subject to numerous noise complaints and was served an eviction notice after her retrospective appeal to change use of the land was rejected. Owner Amey James appealed the eviction notice but found out this week that she had lost her case and had nine months to vacate the site.
If another site is not found before time runs out, the devastated animal lovers says her furry friends – most of which have special needs, such as an epileptic pig and blind and deaf dog – will be destroyed. Swale County Council said the site needs to be returned to use as a farm after the Secretary of State dismissed Amey’s appeal.
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The distraught animal sanctuary owner said: “I’m not quite sure how to put this because I’m finding it difficult to actually process this properly but I just found out that we lost the planning decision appeal and have been told we have nine months to vacate the land.
“Although I always knew there was a chance of this utterly heartbreaking outcome I’ve always tried to be so positive. I’m beyond devastated and feel in fact that my world, which is what this sanctuary is, just collapsed. Right now my head and my heart both physically hurt.
“Thank you to every, single one of those people who has supported me, the charity and all The Ranch animals in this long, stressful, costly, completely unnecessary battle.”
She expressed her fear about the consequences if she can’t relocate. “If we can’t move and we can’t stay, the animals will have to find homes,” she said.
“But of course that will be very difficult as they all came here because no one else would take them in due to age, medical conditions or behavioural issues. And if they can’t find homes then there’ll be no choices left.
“But over my dead body will I let anything happen to these animals. They’re my family and I promised them they’d be safe for the rest of their lives. So I have to do everything I can do to make sure that happens.”
She added: “But ultimately as the charity has no money to move anywhere, the council is signing these animals’ death warrants. Because it begs the question if an animal sanctuary is not allowed in this rural location, then where is one allowed?”
A spokesperson for Swale Council explained: “The Happy Pants Ranch applied for retrospective planning approval in 2021 and after assessing the application against national planning policy and our own local planning policies, this was rejected. A planning enforcement notice was issued in 2022 to rectify these breaches, in line with our policies.”
They added: “The notice was subsequently appealed by the applicant, and an inspector appointed by the Secretary of State dismissed the appeal, upheld our notice – subject to variations and agreed with our original refusal of planning permission. The enforcement notice requires that the mixed use of the site stops and that the land needs to be restored to its original condition before the breaches took place.”
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