Land west of Chantry Lane, Little Wymondley

Application No. 19/02939/FP

Change of use from agricultural land to dog exercise park, land west of Chantry Lane, Little Wymondley.

CPRE Hertfordshire has concerns regarding this proposal for a change of use to a sui generis non-agricultural business use in the Green Belt. There is no policy which covers this sort of use in the North Herts Local Plan, and, in general, dog exercising is not an area covered in most Local Plans.

While no new built development is proposed, it is clear from the Design and Access Statement that the proposed use is an extension of an existing dog walking business.
This raises some issues which are not adequately addressed by the documents accompanying the application.

While, in theory, it is inarguable that dog owners need safe places where they can take their dogs to run freely, such areas need to be properly supervised, with strict policies and rules of use and a comprehensive plan for running the park effectively. None of these are included in, or even referred to, in the application. The Council should satisfy itself on such points before
permitting the use.