The Botanic Gardens Aviary is closing. It will cost £60,000 a year to save it.
The decision was made in March. Staff were not told until 1 July. We have filed an FOI request and you can follow it.
The Sandgrounder
1 July 2026 • Churchtown, Southport
The Botanic Gardens Aviary in Churchtown has been part of the gardens for decades. It sits within the park that runs alongside Bankfield Lane, used daily by local families, school children, and people who simply walk through on their way to school or the shops. It is free to visit. It houses macaws, African grey parrots, ringneck parakeets, conures, cockatiels, and more. It has a staff team who know the birds, care for them, and have built something genuinely worth having.
Sefton Council has decided to close it. The planned closure date is March 2027.
The annual saving: £60,000.
Key facts
The numbers in context
The council's total funding gap is £91.757 million over the medium-term financial plan. Closing the aviary saves £60,000 a year. That is 0.065% of the gap.
The council announced a £106 million Marine Lake Events Centre in June 2026. The aviary's annual operating cost is 0.057% of that figure.
The same budget document that includes the aviary closure approves acceptance of £75,000 in corporate sponsorship for Southport's 2026 cultural events programme. A single sponsorship deal from a national retailer exceeds the entire annual cost of a community facility that has served Churchtown for decades.
As recently as 2022 to 2023, the council was actively pursuing up to £5 million in external improvement funding for the Botanic Gardens, with the aviary listed as a key feature to be restored or improved. The same administration is now closing it to save £60,000.
Four months
The budget decision was made in March 2026. The aviary team found out on 1 July 2026: four months after the decision had already been taken.
Staff members Connor Atherton, Emily, Lucy, and Luke were informed on 1 July. They are publicly opposed to the closure. They have already begun finding homes for some of the birds, not because they are required to, but because they care about them.
The council has not published an officer decision notice, an equality impact assessment, or a community consultation record. Whether any of those exist is one of the questions our FOI request asks.
The birds and animals at the aviary
One of the aviary's African grey parrots by the indoor koi pond.
One of the aviary's African grey parrots by the indoor koi pond.
African grey with the summer sky behind the mesh.
African grey with the summer sky behind the mesh.
Alexandrine ringneck. One of several parakeet species at the aviary.
Alexandrine ringneck. One of several parakeet species at the aviary.
Conure parakeet. These birds can live 20 to 30 years.
Conure parakeet. These birds can live 20 to 30 years.
A cockatiel that had been brought out of the aviary by staff.
A cockatiel that had been brought out of the aviary by staff.
The aviary's corella. Highly intelligent birds that form strong bonds.
The aviary's corella. Highly intelligent birds that form strong bonds.
Guinea pigs were also kept at the aviary, popular with visiting children.
Guinea pigs were also kept at the aviary, popular with visiting children.
The aviary team. Staff say they are not yet at the stage of rehoming animals.
The aviary team. Staff say they are not yet at the stage of rehoming animals.
Photos provided by aviary staff. All images taken at the Botanic Gardens Aviary, Churchtown.
The animals
Macaws. African greys. Ringneck parakeets. Conures. Cockatiels. Corellas. Guinea pigs. These are not abstract numbers in a budget document. They are animals with long lifespans. African grey parrots can live 40 to 60 years. Macaws can live 50 years or more. What happens to them is a genuine question, and the council has not yet provided a clear public answer.
The staff have been clear: they are not yet at the stage of rehoming animals. They have been contacted by donors who gave animals to the aviary and are responding to those messages. But no rehoming has begun, and staff are still working to reverse the decision before that becomes necessary.
Connor Atherton, who has worked at the aviary for three years, posted publicly on 1 July: “I'll keep doing everything I can to help ensure the aviary remains open for everyone to enjoy.”
The Facebook page for the aviary is facebook.com/botanicaviary. If you want to follow the campaign or offer support, that is where it is happening.
What we have asked
We filed a Freedom of Information request to Sefton Council on 1 July 2026. The statutory response deadline is 29 July 2026.
We asked for three things:
- The formal decision. The officer notice, approval date, approving officer or Cabinet member, and any equality impact assessment conducted before the decision to close.
- The financial case. The annual operating cost breakdown for the aviary in the most recent financial year, the projected saving, and the timing of that saving.
- Alternatives considered. Whether any community transfer, charitable lease, third-party operation, or approach to the Botanic Gardens Community Association was explored before the decision to close was taken.
Follow the FOI
The FOI request is public. You can read it, follow it, and see the council's response as soon as it arrives.
View FOI request on WhatDoTheyKnowFiled 1 July 2026. Statutory deadline: 29 July 2026.
The questions that remain
We do not yet know which Cabinet meeting or committee approved this closure, or whether it was taken at officer level without a formal public decision. We do not know whether any public consultation was conducted. We do not know whether community transfer or charitable operation was ever explored. We do not know the exact per-animal plan for rehoming, or who bears the cost.
Those answers should be public. They are not, yet.
We will report the council's response when it arrives.