Animal rescue team looking to move on
AN ANIMAL rescue and rehoming centre in Bagworth has shut it doors following a dispute with its landlords.
Operators of Pony Rescue on Park Lane are ceasing their work on site and looking for alternative accommodation.
No new animals are being taken in and the team are attempting to find homes for those already in their care.
If a location cannot be found by July 1, then Pony Rescue bosses say the organisation, which offers a 24-hour service responding to anything from a horse on the loose to runaway pigs, sheep and abandoned poultry, will shut down for good.
The closure comes on the back of a long-running battle with landlord Bagworth Parish Council over permission to construct field shelters on site.
As covered by the lease agreement, any new structure built on the land must be sanctioned by the parish council.
According to the authority any changes must be the subject of a full site plan, illustrating location of pens and proposed materials and be recorded by a licence.
The bone of contention appears to be the licence and its cost, which Pony Rescue say would be £600 - a steep price to pay they say for a not-for-profit animal welfare venture.
Craig Thompson, who set up Pony Rescue, said parish councillors had visited the previous site near Swadlincote during the tender process in 2015 and been satisfied with how things were run.
He said: “They stated they would be happy for us to be their tenants. They also noted that we had wooden stabling and field shelters and that we would require the ability to build similar structures on the new site in Bagworth to which they verbally agreed.
“The site we moved to was offered on a long term 15-year lease, which meant we were happy to invest in the site turning it from an ex arable crop field into grazing and pasture as agreed by the landlord. However, we were stopped from erecting the wooden structures verbally agreed by the parish council who decided that if we wanted the structures then we would have to pay for a licence at a cost of £600.”
The wrangle means 200 used pallets donated by Hinckley delivery firm Armstrong Logistics are now useless until a new site can be sourced.
The pallets were provided to help Pony Rescue build shelters, pens and even a play park for the goats.
Craig, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, said: “It was heartbreaking news especially when our neighbours on the land who are also tenants of the parish council on the allotments are allowed to construct fences from wooden pallets and build wooden structures and sheds with no issue and no requirement for extortionate legal fees.”
In a statement on Bagworth Parish Council’s website a spokesman says: “All improvements/ amendments must be recorded by a licence that must be drafted and executed and no improvement or alterations can commence until the licence has been executed. Pony Rescue Ltd acknowledged and accepted these terms on January 14 2017.
“This matter, along with a number of other outstanding issues, is now being dealt with by the parish council’s solicitor as Pony Rescue Ltd have now emphatically refused to comply with the conditions attached to the approval and continue to accuse the council of underhandedness and unfair treatment.”
Craig said once they had vacated the land they would be handing over a file to the monitoring officer at Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council regarding what they feel is possible mishandling of the tenancy.
He added: “We are now desperately searching for alternative land and would ask anyone who can help to contact by email info@ ponyrescue.co.uk/ We need a minimum of two acres, ideally around 10 acres and within a 10 mile radius of the LE67 postcode.”