Fresh hope for rejected £2m wildlife hospital

An animal lover whose plans for a £2m wildlife hospital were twice rejected hopes it can still be built after intervention by the Planning Inspectorate.

Sue Stubley, the founder of the Suffolk Hedgehog Hospital, wants to build Long Acre Wildlife Hospital on 27 acres of land at Kirtling, near Newmarket, to support vulnerable animals from across Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Norfolk.

The project had "insufficient justification", said planning officers at East Cambridgeshire District Council, who rejected the plans in July 2025 and again in January, leading to an appealto the government's Planning Inspectorate.

The inspectorate has appointed a planner to consider the application.

"I spent so much time, money and effort that I just thought 'I am going to appeal it', but I thought my chances were quite slim, to be honest," she told the BBC.

"Now we will all have a chance to speak and thrash it out around the table - they can ask questions and I can ask questions and not be tied down to a five-minute answer."

Planners at the council recommended the application be refused based on concerns about traffic caused by rural development.

Documents showed that planning officers thought there was "insufficient justification" for the hospital to be built on land off Water Lane, Long Acre, in Kirtling.

They also feared the development would result in "significant harm" to the character and appearance of the area and cause "noise and disturbance" for nearby residents.

Stubley started the hedgehog hospital at her home in Ousden 18 years ago, going on to care for as many as 1,000 hedgehogs every year.

Growing demand for the hospital's services and a lack of space at her home prompted an idea for a custom-built facility.

A meeting between Stubley and her team, councillors, the government inspector and members of the public, will take place on 20 October.

East Cambridgeshire District Council was contacted for comment.

Do you have a story suggestion for Suffolk? Contact us below.

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.