A new secure dog adventure park could soon give owners a dedicated space to exercise their pets off the lead.

Plans have been submitted for a change of use from an agricultural field to a dog agility field on land at Higher Millfield, Mill Road, Bradworthy, Devon.

The applicant is Mrs Karen Whelan, with the planning statement naming the applicants as Mr Allan and Mrs Karen Whelan.

The proposal is for an adventure and agility dog park with a perimeter post-and-wire fence, a wooden shelter, agility equipment, parking and access improvements.

According to the planning statement, access would be taken from an existing track adjoining Mill Road, which would be extended to connect the field to the highway access.

The site would include a four to five-foot perimeter fence, with a lower four-foot fence proposed along the eastern boundary where there is already a dense hedge and tree line.

The statement says: “The perimeter fencing will be erected close up to the existing hedge/tree line and the hedging allowed to grow through to minimise the visual impact.”

A hard-standing parking area would be created for up to two cars, with a turning circle and a lay-by along the access track for two passing or waiting cars.

A wooden shelter would be built close to the northern hedged boundary. It would be used to store moveable agility equipment and provide cover and dry seating for dog walkers.

Permanent wooden structures, including a see-saw, tunnel and climbing frames, are also proposed, along with a sand pit.

Water troughs and dog litter bins would be provided, with a registered waste removal company used to dispose of animal waste.

The planning statement says the site is in open countryside under the North Devon and Torridge Local Plan, but adds that access adjoins part of the built form of Bradworthy and is about 100 metres from the village development boundary.

Pre-application advice dated Wednesday, December 10, says the proposal is likely to accord with planning policies in principle because a dog agility park needs a large amount of space and is well related to the settlement.

The statement says the council’s environmental protection team noted the potential for dog barking noise to affect neighbouring amenity.

In response, the applicants said use of the park would be by website bookings only, with a limit of four dogs and a maximum of two cars for each 30-minute or 60-minute booking.

Professional dog walkers with numerous dogs would not be allowed, and users would have to register.

The statement says: “Dog walkers will be required to register and if their dogs are not kept under control they will not be able to use the park in the future. The park will be open during day light hours only.”

Ecology measures proposed include leaving a three-metre strip around the dog park uncut from around April to July, reseeding two south-western corners with grass and wildflower mix, planting ten new trees, and enhancing the western boundary with native hedge species.

Devon CPRE, the charity that campaigns to protect Devon’s countryside from inappropriate development, is delighted that a Planning Inspector has dismissed an appeal by the Christie Estate for outline permission to build a cluster of new houses in the village on a site that locals said was highly unsuitable for numerous environmental and heritage reasons.

Last year, Westleigh residents successfully opposed an outline planning application to construct nine houses on agricultural land just outside Westleigh’s Conservation Area (WCA), saying that the construction phase alone would ‘cause havoc’ in the settlement of just 69 homes, threatening the precarious existence of the community’s village hall, as well as the Grade-II-listed thatched dwelling known as Rock Cottage. They also argued that it would destroy a traditional Devon Bank hedge, a habitat frequented by ten species of bat, four of them endangered.

To the delight of villagers and Devon CPRE, North Devon District Council resoundingly refused the initial planning application, deeming it an unsuitable location for new open-market residential development that would not meet local housing need and would cause harm to the character and appearance of the area.

The Christie Estate subsequently appealed against the council’s decision (Appeal Ref 6003960) and submitted slightly modified plans, including reducing the house at the entrance of the development to a single storey to make it less overbearing and to mitigate the impact on Rock Cottage.

The Planning Inspector’s decision to dismiss the appeal has now been made public – to the delight of Devon CPRE, Westleigh Parish Council and local residents. 

Devon CPRE Director Penny Mills says, “We have supported the villagers of Westleigh from the start in opposing this planning application, and the inspector’s ruling demonstrates that the planning system still has the power to preserve important landscape and heritage assets, despite the relentless political drive to build, build, build. This is a first-class example of why CPRE was founded 100 years ago and has campaigned relentlessly for all the protections that rural areas now rely on for their preservation. The main reasons the Inspector rejected the appeal related to damage to the setting of the listed cottage, the adjacent lane and an established hedge, as well as to the wider conservation area. We couldn’t agree more.”

Summarising the decision to dismiss the appeal, the Inspector stated, “Weighing against the proposal, the development would be contrary to the local development strategy, would be reliant upon the use of the car, harm the significance of a listed building and setting of the WCA, and harm the character and appearance of the wider area… planning decisions should guide development towards sustainable solutions whilst reflecting the character of an area and conserving and enhancing the historic environment.”