The owner of Happy Pants Ranch in Newington, near Sittingbourne, says if she cannot relocate before its nine-month notice is up, they will be destroyed. Henry Luck reports.
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00:00The Happy Pants Ranch near Sittingbourne looks after more than 450 rescue animals who have nowhere to go
00:09but following an eviction notice given by Swell Council, the animal sanctuary is racing to raise enough money to move to a new location
00:20following a failed appeal earlier this month.
00:24They've been in a three year battle with Swell Council to formally change the use of land from agricultural to animal rescue.
00:33Yeah unfortunately since moving onto this bit of land almost four years ago we've had nothing but trouble
00:39from one neighbour and the Swell Council to do with planning, noise, you name it we've had trouble with it
00:50so yeah unfortunately and I've never had a bad relationship with the council ever before and we've been going for 10 years now under different boroughs
00:57but Swell Council yeah is unfortunately not a good relationship whatsoever.
01:02The forever home is completely independent and run by volunteers.
01:08Oh we're devastated, don't understand why it's happening, seems to be no real reason for it
01:16and we're in the middle of the countryside here as you can see, not disturbing anybody, not doing any harm
01:22but we don't understand it quite honestly.
01:26Explaining why it has taken eviction action, Swell Council said the Happy Pants Ranch applied for retrospective planning approval in 2021
01:37and this was rejected. A planning enforcement notice was issued in 2022 to rectify these breaches.
01:45The notice was appealed and it was dismissed. The enforcement notice requires that the mixed use of the site stops
01:54and that the land needs to be restored to its original condition before the breaches took place.
02:01Now the sounds of all the animals behind me here at the Happy Pants Ranch in Newington near Sittingbourne
02:08is soon to be no more as they've just been given a nine month eviction notice.
02:14Now they're trying to raise £250,000 to be able to relocate.
02:21Amy has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds which will allow the Happy Pants Ranch to find a new location.
02:30She doesn't know where she will go yet but she firmly believes home is where the animals are.
02:37Henry Luck for KMTV.