North Tyneside Council has proposed managing the beloved Rising Sun Farm based at the Rising Sun County Park on an interim basis.
This follows the liquidation of the Wallsend farm’s charitable trust trading company in October.
The takeover will follow the surrender of the lease with the trust, enabling the council to manage the farm until another organisation is found to run it in the long term.
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Animal welfare officers will monitor the care of the remaining farm animals during this period, with an independent farm assistant supporting the day-to-day operations.
Mark Longstaff, director of commissioning and asset management at North Tyneside Council, said: “The proposed decision to take over the farm from the Rising Sun Farm Trust was a mutual agreement between the council and the board of trustees. We aim to protect the long-term viability of the site and the services provided there.
“We are confident we will find a new organisation that will push the farm towards a bright future and create a thriving community asset in the borough. We will be seeking expressions of interest, early in the new year, from community-based organisations to take over the running of the farm in the long term.”
Businesses located at the farm are unaffected and remain open, including Earth and Fire Bakery and Belle and Herbs. A falconer will continue to be based at the farm and the provision of livery services will continue as normal and will not affect the stables on site.
A petition to save the farm, launched in October, has amassed 6,348 signatures. The petition, started by Vivien Fenn Webber, aimed "to petition North Tyneside Council to support The Rising Sun Community Farm Association in its bid to take over the Rising Sun Farm and manage it for the benefit of the community".
When approached by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, North Tyneside Council said there would be no further comment at this time.
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