Blackpool donkeys' holiday home under threat again, say owners
A farm used as a well-earned holiday retreat by Blackpool's famous beach donkeys could be concreted over under new development plans, the land's owners have said.The pack animals have been wintering at Latham House Farm in Wigan, Greater Manchester, for 25 years, grazing in fields and spending nights sheltering in the barn. But the farm, managed by Jimmy and Gillian Morris, has been designated for development by Wigan Council as part of a draft local plan. Mr Morris said the couple would "fight this to the bitter end", while a Wigan Council spokesman said there was a "strong case" for developing the site.
It is not the first time the future of the farm - close to Junction 26 of the M6 - has been up in the air, with previous development plans for the site scrapped. The holding has been in the ownership of the Morris family for more than a century, and has now been listed in the draft Local Plan for Wigan as an area for potential "high-quality" employment development.
If approved, about 600 acres of previously green belt land will be zoned for development, before an eight-week consultation begins on the change from 30 April. Ms Morris, 58, said for the past 25 years the donkeys from Blackpool had been taken in over the winter months. She said: "We love them. They are wonderful animals with so much character."They've worked hard all summer season and they deserve a rest."
'Deserve a rest'
Her husband Jimmy, 78, said previous attempts to mark the land for development in 2016 failed and he was told it would remain green belt.He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "They [developers and Wigan council] keep trying this. We're angry because they won't leave us alone. We've been here for 100 years."Aidan Thatcher from Wigan Council said the site was a "key opportunity" to create high-quality jobs by building on the success of nearby industrial site, Martland Park. He said: "Changes to national planning policy mean that there is a very strong case that this site is now within 'grey belt' and, as such, the council has a responsibility to bring forward it in a responsible way and not leave it vulnerable to inappropriate development by external parties."
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