Animal centre may shut if expansion not approved

Sue Stubley founded the Suffolk Hedgehog Hospital nearly two decades ago

A long-running wildlife centre said it would "probably close" if plans for its new £2m animal hospital were not given the green light.

Suffolk Hedgehog Hospital, on the outskirts of Newmarket, wants to build the Long Acre Wildlife Hospital on 27 acres of land on the Suffolk and Cambridgeshire border.

The complex itself, which would also serve Norfolk and Essex, would be about one acre in size and be able to accommodate as many as 500 hedgehogs at any one time.

East Cambridgeshire District Council's planning department will discuss the application once the consultation ends on Thursday.

The new site would be able to accommodate as many as 500 hedgehogs at any one time

The charity was founded 18 years ago by Sue Stubley, who cares for as many as 1,000 hedgehogs, as well as other animals, every year from her home in Ousden.

She and her team of volunteers nurse the animals back to health before releasing them back into the wild.

While she remains as passionate as ever about the work she does, the lack of space in which she and her team of volunteers have to operate is starting to take its toll.

'I am at my wits' end'

"We simply do not have enough space, and we are now at the stage where it is absolutely insane," the 63-year-old told the BBC.

"There's about 22 hedgehogs in the kitchen, another 20 in the lounge, tiny babies in my bedroom, a fox in the shower, and a dove in the bath.

"I love the animals that I have here, but I cannot bear the chaos. I like everything super, super tidy, so this is absolute torture to me - I am pretty much at my wits' end."

The Suffolk Hedgehog Hospital cares for as many as 1,000 hedgehogs ever year, as well as other animals such as foxes and birds

Plans for the project were previously rejected by the council after concerns were raised about noise, traffic, and the visual impact it could have on the countryside.

But, after going back to the drawing board and resubmitting the proposals, Ms Stubley is now hopeful that her dream of a larger home may still become a reality.

At the time of writing, 12 people had objected to the project, while more than 180 people had voiced their support for it.

"We've got a completely new team, revamped everything and looked at things, so we're hopeful we've countered all the issues that were raised," she added.

"It is a huge job, but I am confident we can do it. I will fund a considerable amount personally, but we will need a bit of help funding some of it.

"It will make an unbelievable difference, and I might have a tiny bit of a life and be able to cook something without having hedgehogs on my counter."

Ms Stubley said she felt that it was her job to give animals like hedgehog's a voice

The proposed hospital could be finished within the next two years, at a cost of about £2m

If given the green light, the hospital could be built within the next two years and would be able to accommodate more animals and more volunteers to help out.

But if the plans were thrown out for a second time, it could spell the end - not just for the future of the project, but for the charity as a whole.

"Hedgehogs are the sweetest little creatures, but they are desperately endangered, they don't have a voice, and they need our help," said Ms Stubley.

"But I cannot sustain what we're doing here, and I suspect we would probably close, which would be a disaster.

"I have been doing this for 18 years and it has taken over my life, which I don't mind, but we desperately need a bigger premises – so it has to go ahead."