Dorset animal rescue centre refused permission

Dorset councillors decided that the use of the site by Waggy Tails could be a potential risk to adjoining heathland and might generate unacceptable noise for neighbours.

There was also concern over access via an unsurfaced track which is liable to flooding and what was seen as the overdevelopment of a barn with wrap-around kennels for thirty dogs.

An area planning committee heard that the six hectare Little Lions Farm site has been earmarked by the charity as a replacement for its facility at Canford Magna on the outskirts of Wimborne which it has out-grown.

The charity has six full-time and four part-time staff, looking after 30 dogs at a time.

Planning officers says that they feared the use of the Horton Road site would add to pressure on the adjacent Lions Hill site of special scientific interest and was contrary to Green Belt and Dorset heathland policy.

Natural England had also objected, on similar grounds, saying that even with promises that dogs would not be walked on the heathland they were still opposed to the use.

One of the nearby landowners, Roger Hicks from Lions Hill Farm, echoed the views of the council and Natural England saying he was also worried about extra traffic and noise – saying that if the access track did flood Waggy Tails would need his permission and two other landowners to use an alternative route to the south.

He said the charity had advertised agility training and off-lead training to be offered from the site, which he said was in addition to the 30 dogs likely to be permanently there.

“This would increase the loading and volume and traffic on the access track,” he said.

Paul Chapman for Waggy Tails said that in the past year there had been 600 calls to re-home dogs, with the charity being able to take in 130. He argued that with better facilities the charity would be able to increase its throughput, potentially reducing the number of dogs which needed to be put down.

Richard Osborne told the meeting that Waggy Tails strongly objected to the reasons being given for refusal – arguing that the proposed extension to the barn was not disproportionate, taken on its own accounting for a 60per cent increase; although when the demolition of several outbuildings was accounted for this fell to a 30per cent increase in size.

He said he believed the application would not harm the Green Belt and there would be no demonstrable effect on the heathland as none of the dogs would be walked there.

Swanage councillor Bill Trite said he believed the charity use was a good one – but was over-ridden by the objections to its use.

“There is a need to protect the Green Belt. I can’t support this, this recommended use is in the wrong place,” he said.

Moving refusal Cllr Spencer Flower said although mitigation measures had been proposed these were not sufficient for Natural England to over-ride their reasons for refusal.

West Moors and Three Legged Cross councillor Andy Skeats said that Waggy Tails was well-known and well thought of locally, doing an extremely good job.

“It’s the place chosen, not the charity, which is the problem.. people are very sympathetic to it, as we can see from the petition,” he said.

Illustration – The Waggy Tails proposed site (in red) with sites of natural protection in purple.

Illustration -  Proposed layout for the site, showing areas to be extended in brown.