Happy Pants Ranch: Sittingbourne charity's animals still 'too noisy'

The owner of an animal charity fears it may not survive, after renewed noise complaints and threats of court action.

The Happy Pants Ranch in Kent cares for 350 rescued or special-needs animals, but owner Amey James said fresh complaints may put their lives at risk.

She said it was "ridiculous" to silence the cockerels, geese, sheep, cattle and dogs on agricultural land.

Swale Borough Council said the noise was "in excess" of reasonable levels.

The animal sanctuary relocated to a 20-acre former farm off Iwade Road, Sittingbourne, in December 2020 and in April was served a notice to hush her "noisy geese".

Miss James moved them behind a woodland area 230m - more than two football pitch lengths - away from their closest neighbours.

But more complaints followed. The council has not disclosed how many.

"None of this makes any sense, these claims are ridiculous," Miss James said.

"If you can't have farmyard animals on agricultural land in the middle of the countryside, where can you?"

She tried relocating some of the animals, but moving their shelters requires council planning approval, which the charity has been waiting on since April.

"We have invested everything into this land, faced with fines or court costs the charity will fold, and the animals may not survive.

"It's so stressful and exhausting."

Further noise complaints were lodged about a generator. Miss James said it had been placed inside a sound-proofed shed and turned off at night, but it was deemed "unreasonably" noisy.

Miss James said: "The council refuse to give us any measurements."

The council said notices were served after an investigation which included the use of noise monitoring equipment and site visits by officers.

A council spokesperson said: "We recognise that this is a sensitive matter and as such we have given an extended timescale for the owners to abate the animal noise nuisance.

"We will of course support the owners where we can but once we have determined that the noise levels were in excess of what can be reasonably expected for a given location, then we are required by law to act.

"Failure to comply with the notices can lead to prosecution and magistrates can give an unlimited fine."

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