Dog daycare business loses appeal over barking

The owner of a dog grooming business has lost an appeal against a council decision to ban the exercising of animals at a former village farm in Wakefield.

Christopher Beech was granted planning permission to convert part of the farm at Wragby Grange into a dog daycare business and grooming parlour in 2023.

In January last year, Wakefield Council prohibited the use of land at the site for dog training, saying planning conditions had been breached and raising concerns that residents would be disturbed by barking.

Beech challenged the decision, but the appeal was dismissed, according to a Planning Inspectorate report.

The council had also ordered two shelters on the land near to Doncaster Road to be removed, saying the structures were "harmful to the greenbelt".

An inspector's report saying Beech had provided a "robust" noise impact assessment which showed people living near the site would not be affected by noise, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The inspector, who visited the site in July, said: "When the dog daycare business was open most dogs were exercising in the open paddock and others were being exercised off-site.

"There was little audible dog noise on entering the site and for the duration of my visit.

"Taking account of the range of evidence available, on this issue I conclude that the development does not have a harmful effect on the living conditions of the occupants of nearby residential properties with particular reference to noise."

A document outlining the grounds for appeal previously submitted on behalf of Beech said: "This use operates in line with the planning permission and licence issued by the council's environmental health department.

"The use of the land alleged by the council is not an inappropriate form of development in the greenbelt.

"The use of the land as alleged by the council does not cause unacceptable harm to the living conditions of neighbouring occupants."

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