PLANS for a dog daycare business on Green Belt land at Stretton have been rejected by Warrington planners.
Stretton Parish Council had opposed the application by husband and wife Paul and Carla Mullin at Stretton House on Northwich Road, Stretton, describing a proposed wooden shelter as a “blot on the landscape.”
The application involved a change of use from Agricultural land to Recreational/Leisure use. The proposed development would allow the landowner to run a dog daycare business from the site. Installation of livestock fencing and gates, wooden shelter/hut, wooden dog kennels and a small astroturf area in addition to a small soakaway to deal with rainwater.
Operational hours proposed would be 07:00 to 19:00 with provision for up to 16 dogs.
But Warrington Borough Council planners rejected the application stating the proposal would constitute inappropriate development in the Green Belt and that no very special circumstances had been put forward to clearly outweigh the harm to the Green Belt.
The proposal would also have a detrimental impact on the visual amenity of the wider landscape character due to the vehicle parking area, fencing and by introducing built development into areas of open countryside.
The nature of the proposed scheme through the presence of a number of dogs on site at any one time also had a high potential to cause noise-related nuisance to nearby residential properties. The impact of noise from the proposal could not be accurately assessed due to the lack of submitted information and therefore the level of harm cannot be identified. Insufficient information has been supplied with regard to the exact location of the proposed parking arrangements.
The application was also opposed by Stretton Parish Council due to the commercialisation on the fringe of Stretton, potentially leading to loss of Green Belt land and adversely affecting the openness of this rural village. The application also failed to demonstrate that it meets ‘exceptional circumstances’ criteria for Green Belt land.
There were also concerns about the potential for noise nuisance to residents of the village and that the kennel building would be quite a “blot on the landscape” and as it was not screened from the road it would have adverse visual impact and permanently harm the openness of the land.
In support of the application, it was stated that pet recreation and leisure is an established activity, beneficial to the owner and pet and that outdoor facilities such as this are limited in this area in particular.
The proposed stable block was in keeping with the surroundings and discreet by virtue of its design and construction material and the development would be in keeping with the Green Belt.
