Cookham zoo at loggerheads with council after licence refusal

A zoo in Cookham is at loggerheads with the council after its licence was refused. 

Wildway Wildlife Ltd had been in discussions with the borough for nearly 17 months but the licence was finally refused because no prior planning permission had been granted.

According to the council, concerns had also been raised about the premises and provisions during an independent veterinary inspection of the zoo. 

This licence refusal comes after Wildway Wildlife Mini Zoo applied retrospectively for planning permission to retain its site on Lower Mount Farm until January 2026.

The council received the application on November 27, and it is currently in consideration.

Wildway Wildlife Mini Zoo has been open to the public since May this year.

A council spokesperson said: “The application for a zoo licence was refused as no planning permission has been granted. Planning permission is legally required for the establishment or continuous use of a zoo. The council is currently considering their planning application, which was submitted in November.

“There were also concerns raised following an independent veterinary inspection of the zoo, including a lack of heating provision for the meerkats and lemurs, a lack of UV light provision for the herptile exhibits, the size of cockatiel aviary being too small, unsuitable barriers and perimeter fencing and the ability of the zoo to follow zoo licensing requirements.

"The zoo is yet to be successful in their licence application and has been operating without a licence, while council officers have been seeking to work with the zoo around regularising their position. Zoos can operate without a licence for 6 days within any period of 12 consecutive months. Anything beyond this is unlawful."

Wildway Wildlife Ltd CEO Connor Clegg has since launched a GoFundMe page to seek public support and donations to care for the 72 animals, some of which are at risk of being taken away until a solution is reached.

In an online statement, he said the RBWM planning team ‘confirmed twice’ that there were no objections to the zoo operating but it was ‘not accepted by the licensing department’.

It claims the council had found 'no evidence' that it did not meet the standards of a zoo and had been 'persistently proven wrong' by experts.

He added: "Although we accept like all zoos, we have room for improvement we only have one way of doing so which is through the vital income from our visitors.

"We are fighting to save the zoo, the future is uncertain, but we will keep moving forward."

Wildway Wildlife Ltd has the legal right to appeal and is currently within a 28-day appeal period of the licensing decision but cannot be granted a licence until planning permission has been obtained. 

UPDATE, January 8. 1.17pm:

Wildway Wildlife Ltd has refuted the criticism of its standards.

In a statement, its management said: “As an organisation, we take immense pride in maintaining high welfare standards for our animals, despite facing unwarranted challenges from the local authorities.

“This year alone, we have successfully rescued over 30 animals, including some endangered species, providing them with the urgent care they needed.

“Our animals are in excellent health, confirmed by recent veterinary assessments. Furthermore, senior members of the environmental health department have recognised the errors in their approach and have offered a heartfelt apology for the unfair treatment of our team.

“Contrary to the council's claims, our lemurs and meerkats have adequate heating, a fact we have evidenced on multiple occasions. We believe we have been misrepresented and it could damage our reputation, which is a shame.

“We are committed to improving where we reasonably can, better barriers have been added recently as per the suggestions provided by the authorities.

“Our commitment remains unwavering. We will continue to dedicate ourselves to rescuing, conserving, and educating while supporting the wonderful Cookham community.”