Double blow for Wild Wings Bird Sanctuary

Paul Taylor with one of the owls at the Wild Wings Bird Sanctuary

WILD Wings Bird Sanctuary at Glazebury, Warrington,  has suffered a double set-back and now temporary homes are urgently required to re-home the birds following a recent turn of events, which has left the not-for-profit bird organisation facing an uncertain future.
The first problem arose when their application for planning permission on land adjacent to Taylor Business Park was turned down by the borough council planners.
The planners turned down the application due to the number of buildings stating it would have a bigger impact on the green belt than their current site, also on green belt land, at Bents Garden Centre.
The second blow came just a week later when they represented themselves in court against a barrister representing Bents who were seeking a possession order.
In court Wild Wings made it clear that they weren’t claiming any right to stay on the land but just needed time to move the birds.
The judge’s decision, mainly due to the lack of evidence that Wild Wings had a legal reason to stay on the land, only having a tenancy at will at the time,was to grant the possession order forthwith, meaning that it is now possible for Bents to get a court order to remove Wild Wings from their land immediately.
Paul Taylor from Taylor Business Park who has been following events closely and watched events unfold at the courts in Warrington said:”This is a huge setback for Wild Wings but it is not the end of the road for them. They’re looking to submit a new planning application that has a lower impact on the green belt and we, with the help of a Warrington based planning expert, will help them through the process this time.
“They received no objections during the previous planning process and we’re sure a new application, that’s perhaps a little less ambitious, would suit the land better.”
“In the grand scheme of things it has changed little though. They were already focusing on moving off their current site, as they said in court.
“Even if they had gained planning permission it would have taken months to get the new site ready for occupation so a temporary move was always on the cards. But it’s never nice for either party when a landlord/tenant relationship ends this way though.”
Wild Wings are now in the process of moving off the site at Bents and re-homing some birds on a temporary basis and any help with this would be warmly welcomed during this very difficult time.
Mr Taylor added: “Right now it’s all about making sure the birds are safe as there are many that could possibly be euthanised should anyone step in and try and take over their care. These birds require special attention and skills from their owners and there are over eighty of them.
“Nobody can guarantee that they would all be safe if they can’t be re-homed. Should the authorities be forced to step in and take care of the birds then their welfare would no longer be under the control of Wild Wings or Bents Garden Centre, despite anyone’s best intentions and efforts.”
If anyone is able to help by offering temporary accommodation for some birds or any form of help during this difficult period please contact Carole from Wild Wings on 07957 416883.
Meanwhile Bents have issued a statement on the situation which can be read in full at www.bents.co.uk/Statement-Update
In the statement they say: “We are very aware of all the concerns that have been raised regarding the relocation of Wild Wings Birds of Prey Centre Limited and have been reluctant to comment on the situation until now.  Many of the facts surrounding our decision do not reflect positively on Wild Wings and we have not wanted to raise these issues and potentially put them in a position where they have little or no options for their future relocation.
“Our overall concern is for the welfare of the birds and as such we have taken advice from various professional bodies such as Defra, RSPB and RSPCA to ensure we understand the logistics involved in such a move and can provide as much support as possible to Wild Wings.
Should anything unexpected happen and the owners of Wild Wings do not make sufficient arrangements to relocate, Bents will take steps to ensure that the birds will continue to be cared for.
Although we have offered more time, help with finances and aviaries for the birds, no amount of support seemed to encourage Wild Wings to take any action.
We were receiving contradicting reports of their intentions and plans and after over 12 months of trying our hardest to help them, we had no alternative but to progress with legal action to remove the owners of the Wild Wings business from our centre.
“Following the court case on 9th April 2015 the proceedings have been taken out of our hands and both sides must now abide by the court decision, awarding us possession forthwith.
“Wild Wings have been able to remain at Bents without any overheads, site charges or rent for well over 14 months and we hoped that by offering them further levels of support, including donation of all the aviaries, they would be able to allocate those savings to the planning of their new site.
“Had they chosen to, they would have been able to fully operate their business at Bents and also arrange their relocation during this time.
“To clarify; this situation is in no way related to the expansion works that have taken place at Bents at the other side of the site and we have no plans for the area currently occupied by Wild Wings.
“We were simply approached by a local business, who told us that they were being evicted from their previous premises.  As a local, family run centre we saw an opportunity to help and invested well over £160,000 in developing fantastic facilities for them.  Even with all the issues inaccurate reports and unfounded and hurtful statements, we have remained quiet and allowed Wild Wings to stay here, free of charge, for over 14 months.
“We have worked hard to try and resolve the situation which is why we have been reluctant to respond to comments.  We hope Wild Wings will be in a position to relocate but are pleased that Wild Wings have confirmed in writing that should they not make sufficient arrangements to relocate, they have provisions for the welfare and safety of their birds. However, if anything unexpected happens and they have not made these arrangements Bents are taking steps to ensure the continued care of the birds and under no circumstances will we allow any birds to be destroyed.
“Regardless of everything we still wish Wild Wings the best of success for the future.”