SISTERS who have dedicated a decade of their lives to rescuing and rehabilitating ferrets says their non-profit is at risk of ruin with a developer set to move in and build homes on the site.
Hockley Ferret Rescue and Boarding has been rescuing and giving ferrets loving safe haven until they find new families for more than a decade.
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Sisters Jo, 51, and Tracy Clark, 54, begun with just a few ferrets working out of Jo’s back garden in Etheldore Avenue.
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Five years ago, they moved into their new premises, part of the Fairways Garden Centre development in Hullbridge Road, and have ever since built up their capacity, with more than 200 ferrets now roaming free on the site.
However, at the end of 2018, not long after the sisters moved in, outline planning permission was granted to demolish all the buildings on the garden centre site to make way for 16 detached homes.
“We would be absolutely devastated if we lost all of this work,” Jo explained.
“We have given so much of the last 10 years of our life to becoming one of the biggest ferret rescues in the region.
“We love our job and looking after all these little guys, and if we can’t find new premises then I dread to think what will happen to them.”
Originally a nursery, the site began operating as a garden centre during the 1970s. More recently the site has been occupied by several small businesses, including Fairways Diner, Bibby’s Barber and Vintage Primrose Fashion.
Developer Kent Property Investments plans to demolish all the existing buildings on the site to build four two-bedroom houses, seven three-bedroom houses and five four-bedroom houses.
“We are stuck in uncertainty, we may have to leave in three months, but it may be as long as three years,” Jo said.
“We need to find new premises as soon as possible so we can build what we need to get these ferrets rehoused and moved out safely.”
“There are lots of businesses on here that will need to find new premises as well.”
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