Animals at the zoo in the grounds of Van Hage’s Great Amwell garden centre in Hertfordshire may have to be put down following failure to obtain retrospective planning permission.

Ventura Wildlife Park opened at Van Hage’s in the summer of 2016 on land previously covered by Van Hage's zoo license. The centre still operates a small animals enclosure of its own.

But now planners say the wildlife park must close by February 2018 because it is not a suitable use on Green Belt land. A retrospective planning application and subsequent appeal were refused.

“We feel this is unjust considering what the land had previously been used for, and the fact that the majority of zoos in and around London are located on green belt land,” Mr Palmier told local journalists.

A petition started in a bid to save the zoo has received almost 3,000 signatures.

Mr Palmier has said that although every effort will be made to re-home the 45 species if the zoo were to close, the worst case scenario would see animals put down if homes were not found in time.

A spokeswoman for East Herts District Council said no special circumstances had been demonstrated that would outweigh the harm that would be caused to the Green Belt.

"While the council is able to license the zoo and is sympathetic to the entrepreneurial owner, this cannot override planning policy.

"Our planning decision was tested at appeal when an independent Planning Inspector also concluded that the development was not a suitable use of Green Belt land.

"Planning decisions are never easy, and retrospective applications are particularly difficult when a business has already set up.

The small animals enclosure at Van Hage is unaffected.