How the National Park Tried to Shut Us Down – And Why We’re Still Fighting

The Animal Hostel Trust has spent over 30 years rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming animals in need. But in 2025, we found ourselves in a situation no small charity should face: forced into defending a High Court injunction issued by the North York Moors National Park Authority (NYMNPA), and ordered to remove our rescue horses from the fields we have worked so hard to maintain.

This blog is to tell our side of the story.

A Long History of Trying to Do the Right Thing

We have always made every effort to work with the NYMNPA in good faith. When they first approached us, it was to inform us that some of our activities may require planning permission. They stated in writing that they had no objection in principle to what we were doing, but that the site needed some tidying up.

We took this seriously. We obtained formal pre-planning advice from their planning department (which was positive), submitted a full planning application, and received a recommendation for approval from the planning officers.

Covid

By the time the planning application reached committee, the pandemic hit. With lockdowns in place, we lost all on-site staff and volunteers. Trustees were stuck overseas or unable to travel. Our entire operation fell on the shoulders of one person, Lou, who continued to care for the horses, and helped many people who were too ill to look after their horses due to Covid, and keep the charity afloat singlehandedly during one of the most difficult periods in living memory. Understandably, the site was not as tidy as we would have liked, but our priorities had to be with the animals.

The planning application was refused primarily on grounds of untidiness, and a planning enforcement notice was issued.

Attempts to Comply

We appealed the decision and removed the items listed in the enforcement notice, including relocating storage off-site and moving key operations to our town centre charity shop. 

The horses remained, based on professional advice that their presence constituted grazing, which does not normally require planning permission.

We repeatedly asked the NYMNPA to meet with us to discuss any outstanding concerns and to find a practical, forward-looking solution. They refused.

NYMPA Escalate Attacks

Instead, they issued an injunction application. The decision to take this action was held at a private meeting of the Planning Committee, based on information provided by officers who we know are not supportive, so we don't know what was said.

We could not afford legal representation (estimated to be £85,000), so the trustees represented the charity themselves. Despite the imbalance in legal resources, we were successful in many areas of the case. However, the Judge ruled that because the horses were sometimes fed rather than relying solely on grazing (almost all horses in the UK are fed over winter, like ours), they were technically being "kept" and not just "grazed," which meant we would need planning permission. As a result, part of the injunction was granted, and we were ordered to remove the horses from our land.

We complied. The horses were moved to secure alternative fields and foster homes with the help and support of many wonderful local people. The land is now resting and will be used to produce hay to support the charity.

The Financial Blow

The NYMNPA asked for around £80,000 in costs. The Judge felt they were being unreasonable and reduced this to £41,000 - though for us, this is still a massive amount! They know we are a small, volunteer-run charity with no access to that kind of money, but they are insisting on payment within 28 days. We have already offered to pay as soon as possible and we are awaiting confirmation that they will place a charge on the property so that they can have the security without further damage to our work.

We Want Fairness

What we are asking for is simple: a fair, reasonable dialogue with the National Park Authority. We are not trying to avoid responsibility. We just believe it is unjust to demand immediate payment from a small charity whose only aim has been to help animals and improve their home - for many of our horses, this has been the first kind home they have had.

We now face another critical decision at the NYMNPA Planning Committee on Tuesday 5th February. We are asking for your support, not just to show that our charity matters, but to make sure these issues are discussed in public and not behind closed doors.

Whether you attend the meeting, submit a question, or write to the NYMNPA directly (copying us in so we can make sure the Committee sees it), every single action helps. We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re asking for fairness, dialogue, and a future.

Can you help?

There are lots of ways to help the charity. We are not planning to stop our mission just because some government body is trying to push us around. We are actively searching for new trustees and committee members to help guide the future of the charity.

Or, if you'd like to volunteer at the shop, we have many roles available, not only serving on the till - we need help sorting donations and selling items online as well.

Please click here to learn more about other ways to help.

Thank you for standing with us.

The Trustees of The Animal Hostel Trust / All For Horses