A THREE-DAY hearing to decide the future of a popular tourist attraction has reached its conclusion.

Barrow Borough Council rejected an application to the renew the licence of South Lakes Safari Zoo over health and safety and management concerns.

South Lakes Safari Zoo applied to renew its licence in January 2016 but Barrow Borough Council have been forced to consider whether or not the attraction can be allowed to stay open after concerns relating to its owner, David Gill.

The council decided to reject Mr Gill's application but the zoo now has six months to reapply in its own right.

It will stay open during this time.

LIVE UPDATES FROM DAY THREE

3.00pm David Gill's licence has been rejected but the zoo has a further six months to reapply.

The zoo will remain open with the exception of the snow leopard and wolf viewing areas and "immediate attention" is needed to address management issues.

A meeting to discuss the new licence has been scheduled for July 21.

1.15pm The continuation of the hearing has been pushed back to 2.30pm

11.30 The hearing will continue at 1.15pm when decisions will be announced.

10.15 Council members asked inspectors and officers if discussions ever took place regarding the closure of the whole zoo. They were told it is a legal possibility but have not entered into those discussions as they have been centred on the issue of the licence renewal.

Secretary of state nominated inspector, Nick Jackson, said there are a lot of good things at the zoo and they also need to consider the ramifications of closing a zoo down.

He said: "I would be aware of of the moral and ethical issues surrounding finding the animals new homes."

10.00 Inspectors note Mr Gill seems to have little regard bordering on contempt for inspection process and 'is not fit to hold licence'.

9.30am Inspectors do not believe standards are likely to be met by the zoo.

They say issues of welfare have been poor and depressing.

Dr Brash, local authority representative and Barrow Borough Council's professional adviser, reported that animal managers said David Gill would undermine them and have since been demoted.

Karen Brewer, chief executive of the zoo, said: "We are here to represent our vision to take this zoo forward, we know we have weaknesses.

"The zoo is a family made up of local staff We are a fantastic team and our demeanour shows we want to comply with conditions."

Read more about days one and two of the review:

Update: Day two of troubled Dalton zoo's licence talks </strong>

SOUTH LAKES SAFARI ZOO INSPECTION HISTORY

ALL zoos must be inspected by law and re-apply for their licence every six years.

The popular Dalton attraction has had many inspections throughout its 22-year history. But it has always had to work hard to meet the government's required standard, always having more than 24 conditions in place, ranging from the accessibility of the park, to its animal welfare and health and safety processes.

Timeline

May 23, 1994 38 conditions

June 11, 1998 27 conditions

June 11, 2004 48 conditions

June 8, 2010 24 conditions

August 22 2014 29 conditions

September 5 2014 29 conditions

December 10, 2015 29 conditions

March 10, 2016 39 conditions

The current licence which Mr David Gill hopes to have renewed has 39 conditions in total, and three of these are now direction orders - Blackpool Zoo, by comparison, only has six conditions.

A special inspection of the zoo took place between May 23 and May 25 this year, which uncovered a range of issues from animals dying from hypothermia and emaciation, to inadequate perches for many birds.

WHO IS DAVID GILL?

THE former Dowdales School pupil started out keeping and breeding animals in his one-acre Dalton back garden, which featured kangaroos, pheasants, parrots, ducks, rabbits, guinea pigs and goats.

He built South Lakes Wild Animal Park on converted farmland, with construction starting in November 1993. It opened to the public on May 28 1994, with 100 species of birds and animals, ranging from porcupines and raccoons, to exotic birds.

The transformation into what is now South Lakes Safari Zoo - with tigers, giraffes and baboons now among the animals residing at the Dalton attraction - has been enormous.

The 53-year-old, who has been involved in animal conservation across the globe, divides his time between Dalton and Sechura in Peru.

His storied life, which has not been without controversy, was documented in his autobiography, Nine Lives.

The synopsis for the book says: "Nine Lives is such a roller-coaster ride that you might expect to find it in the fiction section of the book store. "Yet every event here actually happened for real. These events would have killed lesser men but David S Gill is a survivor and he is still surviving to tell the tale - a tale you must read to believe."

Mr Gill has been the controversial figure surrounding discussions which could lead to the closure of the zoo.

He has been dubbed as the person 'squashing' new management, yet the zoo declared the "energy, ideas and business expertise" of Gill what gives them their unique selling point.

They also said he was "vital to keep the zoo's heart alive."