The popular Wildheart Trust on Sandown seafront will now have the potential to expand, thanks to a decision by the local authority.
The Isle of Wight Council’s cabinet has agreed to treat the animal sanctuary as special purchasers of a strip of land behind its home on Culver Parade, after 18 months of talks.
It means the trust will be first in line to buy the land as negotiations continue.
The land, which is between Browns Golf Course and the sanctuary, is owned by the council but is said to have limited potential for income generation and is considered to have no strategic value to the authority.
In a letter to the authority, the trust’s chief operating officer Lawrence Bates, said the land has huge potential to allow it to expand its tourism offering and support its charitable activities.
Mr Bates said land is a key resource to them but with no room at the front, the strip of land at the back provides the opportunity to grow and develop the charity so it can continue to support the community and its rescued animals for years to come.
Speaking at the meeting, Councillor Julie Jones-Evans, cabinet member for regeneration, said the Wildheart Trust is a fixture of the Island’s tourism offer. She reminisced about the old pictures of tigers on the beach, and said it had made Sandown famous.
She added:
“I am very happy to further negotiations and treat them as special purchasers so they can grow their business and help grow our tourism offer on the Island.”
wouldn’t set foot in there whilst Packham has anything to do with the place in any shape or form what so ever.
Your loss is our gain clearly.
Why the hatred? Genuine question.
Whilst I have to agree that Mr Packham is something of a ‘Prima Donna’, the old Zoo itself, now the ‘Wildheart Trust’ is most definitely a step forwards. So many of the animals there have been rescued from appalling conditions abroad. Yes, if you go there now, it might not seem to be an ‘Animal Utopia’ but they are doing very good and badly needed work.
Explain your reasoning please?
I see the dislikes, however I completely agree. Packham has some debatable views.
Would be nice if the money grabbing Council gave it to them, totally free gratis ….
Or if due to legal issues for the nominal amount of £1 ….
No costs incurred …
Give the land to the animal sanctuary for free.
Wow, that must be the biggest brown envelope give-away ever. More caged animals then.
Obviously a lot of people here enjoy looking at things in cages.
You’ve clearly missed the point Mr Chicken. These animals are ‘rescued’, they would not be able to survive in the wild again. The sanctuary clearly have their best interests at heart and income generated from ‘looking at them in their cages’ gives them a better life chance. Which would you prefer? Suffer and die or live and be admired?
You really are an ignorant person, do you know the first thing of what the sanctuary is and what it is doing for rescued animals that wouldn’t last 5 seconds if put back in the wild, no you don’t so keep your uneducated comments to yourself.
To the council.
Don’t loose your assets. Rent it for, say, 50 years at a peppercorn rent of a £1 a year.
You may reminisce about the past…..Sandown was once lovely I agree, but not now, zoo or not…it is a dump and the council needs to do something positive about it … now.