Residents divided by moorland dog exercise run in Tockholes

Anne and Andrew Leaver have been given approval to convert the field at the rear of Hillcrest in Tockholes Road into a space for dogs to run free.

The 0.45-acre site is located within the protected Green Belt countryside and the West Pennine Moors and forms part of a wider landholding under their ownership.

But the scheme generated two letters of objection from nearby residents and two of support.

The opponents of the plan said it would increase traffic; cause parking problems; look unsightly; spread of bacteria, worms and parasites and unpleasant odours due to the concentration of dog waste and urine; and was inappropriate for the Green Belt.

Supporters said the proposal would be a massive relief to said farmers and a real asset to the village, and was an enterprising idea to meet a definite need.

Blackburn with Darwen Council granted the proposal planning permission with six conditions, including that the dog exercise run shall not operate outside the hours of  Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm and Sundays / Bank Holidays 9am to 5pm.

A planning officer’s report said: “Clients will be able to book 60-minute sessions via an online booking system.

“Clients will be required to leave the site in good time (they will be required to use the last 10 minutes of each session for returning to the car).

“This will ensure that only one client is on the site at any one time.

“Once a client selects an hourly slot, then this slot will be removed from the website to ensure no further bookings can take place within the same hour.

“There will be no commercial dog groups, or private functions, dog training days, group sessions, or competitions at any time.

“The site will only be used by private dog owners to exercise their pet away from home.

“The proposed dog exercise area is well screened by existing mature trees and vegetation, which provide a high degree of visual containment and significantly limit views into the site from surrounding land and nearby properties.

“As a result, the proposal would be largely hidden within the landscape and would not appear visually prominent within the wider Green Belt.

“The purpose of the Green Belt exception for outdoor recreation is to enable greater access to the countryside and to support recreational and health-related activities.

“While such uses inevitably introduce some activity, the proposal is carefully controlled through a booking system that restricts the number of users and dogs on site at any one time.”