A wildlife conservation charity will stop running a council-owned visitor centre because it can no longer operate its facilities profitably, the charity said.

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust announced it will leave Westport Lake Visitor Centre in September.

The centre, which the charity has leased from Stoke-on-Trent City Council since 2009, is located alongside the Trent and Mersey Canal. It has a café and offers conferencing facilities.

The move will affect 14 employees at the charity, four of whom are on permanent contracts.

“This isn’t a decision we’ve taken lightly but it’s one we’ve had to make because we are not able to operate the café and conferencing facilities profitably,” the charity said.

“We’ve given notice to the owners, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, that we will be leaving and understand it will be going to tender to find new occupants. 

“Staff are aware and are being supported through this transitional period. Volunteers are also aware.”

The charity said it would continue its other operations in the city.

“This includes the Wilder Neighbourhoods and Transforming the Trent Valley Headwaters projects,” it said.

“The latter will see large-scale investment in environmental improvements in the area.

“Should an alternative suitable site become available to us in future, we’d love to have a base in the city again.”

Stoke-on-Trent City Council said the closure was not due to any action it had taken.

“We haven’t terminated the lease or issued a rent increase,” the council said.

“We had no plans to increase the rent and had not suggested that this was a possibility. 

“The trust has not paid any rent for several years and the council has not chased payments in order to support their ongoing provision.”

More than 1,500 local residents have signed an online petition expressing fears the centre would close and calling for the council to avert this. 

But the council said it would go to tender to find new occupants for the site.

“We’d like to thank Staffordshire Wildlife Trust for the work it has done while operating the site but we are committed to finding new management and to keeping the café and facilities open for visitors,” the council said.

“We have seen the petition and would like to assure those who have signed that we are already proactively working towards achieving the same outcome it calls for and we will do everything we possibly can to achieve this.”