An application has been received by North Lincolnshire Council to open a Petting Zoo in Messingham, near Scunthorpe. Please scroll down for the most recent updates on this application.
The proposers of the application state that the aim of the Petting Zoo is to 'educate the public about the care and husbandry of exotic animals'.
North Lincolnshire Green Party has written to the Council in order to log their concerns. The full letter can be viewed HERE.
The Council have already received a number of objections from concerned residents and also from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) who ran a petition for a short while to allow for peoples concerns to be logged.
North Lincs Green Party have urged the Council to consider concerns for the welfare of the animals and the impact the Petting Zoo will have to the surrounding roads and residents when they make their decision.
Amongst other concerns raised, North Lincolnshire Green Party have written “The planned proposal is set in a largely rural, residential area and the expansion of this land to become a Petting Zoo is going to put more stress on the surrounding roads and residents living in the area. The planned Petting Zoo will cause a larger influx of traffic on a daily basis which will not only put more stress on the already small, single lane road but also stress on the residents who have to live with the increase in noise. The welfare of the animals and how they are to be housed are also of great concern. By granting permission for this application, animals will be kept in unnatural social and family groups and the habitats they are to be kept in will inhibit natural behaviour. It is unethical for these animals to be used solely for the public’s enjoyment”
North Lincs Green Party Coordinator, Laura Atkin also has concerns over the applicant’s proposal to ‘educate members of the public on the care and husbandry of exotic animals.’ She says “Meerkats, Monkeys, Racoons and such animals aren't pets and should never be kept as such. Their domestic ownership should not be encouraged on any level. If permission is granted for this Petting Zoo, it could potentially cause yet more animals to be abandoned once owners realise that these animals aren't the cute, easy to look after 'pet' they originally bought. The level of care needed for these animals just isn't possible in a small domestic environment like a family home.”
You can view the planning application HERE. You can object to the application by clicking 'Submit Comment' - The date to receive comments on the application has now been reached but please do still submit your objections and ask for the Council to consider the welfare of the animals before making their decision.
A press release has been written and will be being sent to the Media early next week. This will be accessible by viewing our 'NLGP News' tab once the press release has been sent. You can also view our previous press release concerning the Petting Zoo, HERE.
If you would like to get involved with campaigning against the Petting Zoo being opened in Scunthorpe then please contact North Lincs Green Party Coordinator & Central Area Coordinator, Laura Atkin, on laura.atkin@greenparty.org.uk
Update - 23rd August 2015
We have received a letter from North Lincolnshire Council notifying us of an amendment by the proposers to the application and asking for any further comments. The amendment can be viewed HERE and the whole planning application HERE.
NLGP has written to North Lincolnshire Council to comment on the amendment and ask for the decision on the application to be passed to the Planning Committee. The full letter can be viewed HERE.
We are yet to hear anything from North Lincolnshire Council about the application. However, concerned residents have contacted Laura and let her know that the proposers have started building works, despite permission not being granted on the application. As far as we can see, from the North Lincolnshire Council Planning website, the application is very much still in the decision phase. Laura has been informed that the Council don't believe the application will go to the Planning Committee, despite numerous requests from residents and also from North Lincolnshire Green Party. She is hoping to meet up with concerned residents over the next few weeks in order to discuss our concerns and see where we can go from here.
Update 14th October 2015
Great news! Laura has just received the confirmation that this planning application will be going to the Planning Committee for a decision to be made. The application is to be heard on 18th November 2015. This is great news and will allow Laura to address the Committee on behalf of North Lincolnshire Green Party to highlight our concerns.
Update 11th February 2016
After months of waiting around, the application was finally heard by North Lincolnshire Council Planning Committee on 10th February 2016. The report from the NLC Officers had recommended refusal of the application based on health and safety guidelines. The Health & Safety Executive had concerns regarding gas pipelines in the area and concluded that they pose a significant risk of harm. The planning committee refused the application based on these grounds. Unfortunately, none of the other concerns mentioned by NLGP and the residents were addressed. It is highly likely that the applicants will re-submit the application once they have overcome the health and safety issues.
Update 1st March 2016
As feared, the applicants have re-submitted the application. The new application can be found HERE. This new application is based on the most recent response received from HSE. As we understand, the original HSE consultation was carried out using a web based app and some of the information originally provided wasn’t accurate. HSE have stated in their most recent response that they have no grounds for objection, yet this is purely based on the number of daily visitors to the site being lower than originally stated and the conclusion that the proposed site only lies within a small proportion of the inner zone of the concerned pipelines. In the opinion of NLGP, this still poses a risk of harm. Although less than 10% of the site is considered to be within the inner zone, it is still a possibility that a major accident could occur during the building of the site, this then poses a major threat to the surrounding area, including the local residents and wildlife. North Lincolnshire Green Party has written to NLC to object to the new application. Our letter of objection can be found HERE.
