Beaver Water World Beaver Water World to close after eviction

Reading the linked article it sounds like relations between the landowners and Beaver Water World have really hit a very bad state if the landlord is putting up monitoring systems around the site and breaching H&S gateways to interview and inspect the site itself directly.

It would be very interesting to know more about what has led to this fallout between landlord and tenant; it sounds odd that the landlord would invest so heavily in surveillance around the site if there were problems rather than just serve notice; unless there were a prior agreement that couldn't be broken without violation on the tenants part (hence the sudden surveillance+random walking through to find a breach of contract and thus a reason to terminate earlier)/
 
this is a really odd story. There's an update here - Beaver Water World receives thousands of offers of help to save animals from being put down | Surrey Mirror - posted a day after the link in the intial post. As well as a full list of species at Beaver World (if anyone is interested), there is also this part of the article:

Landlord Beaver Branch Enterprises has so far not responded to repeated requests for a comment and Ms Quayle has revealed that she and her staff had felt unwelcome on the farm for some time.

She said: "I don't know why we have been asked to leave. No one has told us, no one has said anything to us at all, we have just been sent a letter telling us we have to move on.

"I think we have just become too popular. They don't want thousands of people walking past their door every year to visit us.

"We have tried to reason with them, I offered to drop the visitor aspect and just be a conservation centre but there was no reasoning with them

"It is just us who have been asked to leave. All the other businesses on the site, the motorbike people, the café, etc, none of them have been asked to leave, just us.

"We have not even been spoken to face to face about being asked to leave. We only received a letter that was sent to the office.

"We have had the feeling that we were not welcome for a while."
Click to expand...
 
There are always two sides to a story but it does sound increasingly odd if she's not even been spoken to directly. Whilst I'm sure many large estate agents might well just send a letter it would seem very strange in such a situation as this just to send an eviction notice and to refuse or deny any further communications.

One wonders if there are other users of the land if one of them hasn't put in a major complaint or if the owners got a very strong offer for a new venture offering very high rent payments (or at least beyond what Beaver World can pay).



Have to say I'm glad that it sounds like the animals can be rehomed in other collections!
 
Beaver Water World landlord reveals why it has served eviction notice | Croydon Advertiser
The landlord of Beaver Water World has revealed why it has served an eviction notice, which this week led to fears that scores of animals at the centre could have to be put down.

It was reported earlier this week that Beaver Branch Enterprises Limited had given the rescue centre until December 15 to move out.

This led Stella Quayle, the Tatsfield attraction's managing director, to say that "heaven's doors will have to be open very wide" if attempts to find the animals new homes failed.

However, she now hopes they can all be saved after offers to help and rehome them poured in from the public.

Before today the landlord hadn't responded to a request for a comment.

But now it has broken its silence and said that it has "other plans" for the site on Waylands Farm.

It has not revealed, however, what these other plans are.

In a statement, the landlord said: "The zoo has outgrown its current site and we, as owners, now have other plans for Waylands Farm.

"Beaver Branch Enterprises and Beaver Water World have been in discussions since 2011 about Beaver Water World finding an alternative site.

"Those discussions came to nothing and so a formal notice to leave was served in June 2016. That notice gave Beaver Water World another six months to vacate.

"We also wish to make clear that over the last 26 years Beaver Branch Enterprises have never charged any rent for the use of Waylands Farm and no rent has been offered by Beaver Water World."

As well as beavers, the attraction is home to the likes of lemurs, meerkats, deer and owls.

The statement also emphasised that there will be a contingency plan in place to make sure the more exotic animals are not put down.

It continued: "People have rightly expressed concern about the welfare of the animals after December 2016. We share that concern but Beaver Water World will have a contingency plan to deal with the exotic animals as this is all part of the zoo's licence with DEFRA.

"We hope that Beaver Water World and all its animals will find a new and more suitable home very shortly."
Click to expand...
 
...and a few more details in this article, which basically all makes it sound like a falling out between two friends:
Tatsfield zoo is served with notice to quit | News | Biggin Hill News
Beaver Water World has been given a notice to quit by the owner of Waylands Farm, Beaver Branch Enterprises which is Sue Westlake-Guy, formerly company secretary of the zoo charity and a personal friend of Ms Quayle’s for many years, and her new husband, Alex Walker. During its 36 years at the farm, Beaver Water World has not paid any rent for the site but has spent thousands of pounds in maintenance costs.

“Until her marriage, Sue Westlake-Guy was a positive part of our charity. “ said Stella Quayle. “ The other businesses on site are not affected and are allowed to stay. We have spent years building and maintaining the site at great cost in lieu of rent. We have offered to pay rent on top of the maintenance but our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. "
Click to expand...
In a statement issued by its solicitor, Beaver Branch Enterprises said: “Whilst we have been very pleased with the success of Beaver water World over last 26 (sic) years, the zoo has outgrown its current site and we, as owners, now have other plans for Wetlands Farm. Some newspaper reports have suggested that this is a shock. This is not correct. Beaver Branch Enterprises and Beaver Water World have been in discussions since 2011 about Beaver Water World finding an alternative site. Those discussions came to nothing and so a formal notice to leave was served in June 2016. That notice gave Beaver Water World another six months to vacate. We also wish to make it clear that over the past 26 (sic) years Beaver Branch Enterprises have never charged any rent for the use of Wetlands Farm and no rent has been offered by Beaver Water World.
...
Click to expand...
 
Beaver Water World now CLOSED

"So the clocks have changed, the fire works have lit up the sky and now it is time for us to say our Goodbye. We closed our doors on the 5th November 2017 at our current site and are awaiting planning permission for our new site, which could be a while yet, lol. Don't despair, we will return and our rescue animals will put a smile on your face, a spring in your step and return your faith in the fact that there are those out there helping the animal kingdom. Thank you to everyone who has visited, fund raised and supported our charity over the last 37 years and here's to the future. Cheers!!!!"

It also says on their site they are trying to raise funds to relocate. I also checked their Facebook to find out why they are relocating and found this,
"As you all know, Beaver Water World has had a very very trying year with regards the Eviction Notice given to us by our Landlord."
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top