The Happy Pants Ranch in Kent has lost a legal appeal against an eviction notice, after it was hit with complaints from locals over the noise of its 400 animals
More than 400 animals could face being put down after neighbours kicked up a fuss about noise at their sanctuary.
The rescue organisation, which takes care of creatures ranging from cats to pigs, faced court action after local complaints. Happy Pants Ranch lost its legal fight against an eviction notice.
Owner Amey James is sounding the alarm that if she can’t find a new home for the refuge before time runs out on the nine-month notice, the animals would likely have to be put down. Near Sittingbourne, Kent, the charity primarily looks after special needs animals, and it set up shop on a 20-acre area back in 2021, but ever since, have been plagued by grumbling from not-so-animal-loving neighbours.
It’s the last chapter in a drawn-out three-year legal battle with Swale Council trying to change the land from farmland to furry-friend haven. After getting the thumbs down on their initial planning permission plea, Happy Pants received its marching orders.
Amey went in for round two with an appeal, only to be told this week that the charity had been knocked back again. Now she’s got nine months to clear out, reports Devon Live.
Distraught, Amey shared: “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.”
