Gavin's plea for last ditch talks to save owl sanctuary move

The Cabinet minister and South Staffordshire MP says it is 'a tragedy' that the World Owl Trust (WOT) has abandoned plans to set up its new home in Himley Park, Dudley.

The decision follows a clash with the West Midlands Historic Building Trust (WMHBT), which wants a full restoration of the famous old walled garden that is based at the site.

The 11,500 sq m site had been derelict for 25 years, and was set to have a conservation centre featuring the biggest collection of owls in the country, a cafe, a shop and an education centre.

'Fantastic attraction'

Mr Williamson, a patron of the WOT, said: "Work started on this site two years ago and it was all set to be a fantastic attraction that the people of the Black Country and Staffordshire could be proud of.

"It is such a tragedy that talks now appear to have broken down.

"Discussions have already been quite protracted, but it is vital that every effort possible is made by all of the concerned parties to reach an agreement.

"Before the trust started work on the site this was redundant wasteland that had not been touched for years.

"You have to ask what will happen to it now?

"It would be an ideal place for the trust, which needs a permanent home for its owls as quickly as possible.

"Rodbaston has been an excellent host but it was only ever a permanent home. It will be a real shame if the owls are now taken away from the West Midlands."

Scrapped

A £900,000 owl sanctuary project has been scrapped two years after work started on it due to bosses failing to agree over plans for the site.

The World Owl Trust (WOT) started work on the scheme at Himley Park in Dudley in 2016, with a team of volunteers embarking on a clear up of the famous old walled garden area.

But WOT has now pulled out, citing 'irreconcilable differences' with officials brought in by Dudley Council to run the rule over the scheme.

Alan Peace, chair of WOT, said the trust's focus was on conservation, while the West Midlands Historic Building Trust (WMHBT) wanted a full restoration of the walled garden.

"The site has been a complete mess for 25 years and nobody had any intention of doing anything with it until we came in, so it is really disappointing that this has all fallen apart," he said.

"It is a tragedy for Himley Park and a tragedy for the people of the West Midlands, which will now miss out on having a world class tourist attraction."

Mr Peace, a former warden of the Himley Estate, said 4,000 hours of work on the site put in by around 30 volunteers had 'sadly been wasted'.

"This was the perfect site but we have no choice but to move on," added Mr Peace, from Wombourne, who said the trust was now looking at two alternative sites away from the West Midlands.

The WOT has been temporarily based at The Animal Zone in South Staffordshire College's Rodbaston Campus since 2015. Its previous headquarters was in Cumbria.

Sympathies

Dudley Council leader Patrick Harley said he had sympathies with the WOT and hoped they would reconsider their decision.

"As a council we don't want to see assets neglected or sold off, we want to see them brought back into use," he said.

"We want these sites to be preserved for future generations and it certainly helps if they are in a position to generate a profit."

The walled garden dates back to the mid-18th century. A model village opened at the site in 1984 but shut down after around 10 years.

Since then it has fallen into disrepair, and a full restoration has been priced up at £4 million.

The WMHBT has been contacted for a comment.