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A business offering Preston dog owners the chance to let their pooches run free in a secure field has been told it can continue operating.
Goosnargh Dog Field welcomed its first canine customers six months ago, but has only now received retrospective planning permission from Preston City Council.
In an application to the authority, the operator of the Broadith Lane venture said there had been a “huge demand” for the service, which caters for those dog lovers for whom walkies might otherwise be a worry.
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The facility is described as offering a place where people can exercise their dogs “safe in the knowledge [they] will not come into any contact with any other dogs, people or livestock”.
“This allows both owners and their beloved dogs to exercise and enjoy the countryside,” the planning document adds.
The business has been developed on a one-acre plot that previously functioned as farmland. A six-foot-high fence has been erected, along with a double-gated entrance – accessed via a code provided after booking – for maximum security.
The field can be hired in half-hour or one-hour slots for a total of six dogs at a time and there is parking space for the same number of cars.
The site is inspected up to three times a week to ensure it remains secure and there has not been a build up of waste. A bin for dog mess is provided and users of the field are encouraged to clean up after their pet.
The field is surrounded by other agricultural land and the nearest residential property is almost 120 metres away. A noise assessment found that even with half a dozen dogs barking “in unison”, sound levels would remain below the maximum recommended.
The formal planning application attracted only one public comment, from a resident who wished to stress the “positive impact the dog field has on the community”.
The facility can operate from 8am until 9pm during British Summer Time and 8am until 4.30pm for the remainder of the year. There are no floodlights, so the site is only open during daylight hours.
In approving the proposal, city council planners considered that the “small scale” venture “meet[s] a local need” and is “appropriately located”. Its capacity to diversify the rural economy also means it chimes with local planning policies encouraging that outcome.
The authority also noted the field could easily be returned to agricultural use in future.
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