PLANS to convert an agricultural field in Dummer to a dog walking site have been approved despite mixed opinions from residents.

Hounds and Bounds, a company offering enclosed dog walking fields for hire, submitted a change of use application to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council on September 12, 2023.

The application asked the council if a field at Kennel Farm could be used to 'allow dog owners to spend anxiety-free time with their dogs off the lead in a secure open space'. 

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The site will need to be booked by residents who will then be provided with a code to access the field, which will be restricted with a fence and gate.  

The booking system ensures that the site is restricted to just 10-16 bookings a day, with parking restricted to three cars at any one time.

Residents expressed mixed opinions about the proposal, with some objecting to the loss of the land, currently used by horses and sheep.

Hayley Everett, who lives nearby the site, said she 'objects wholeheartedly', adding: "Horses are within a couple of metres of the site.

"Sheep are due to be within six metres of the site. Dogs who are unused to livestock may be highly agitated or triggered by the horses running about playing - which they do frequently."

Another, Sarah Grogut, said the site is 'unsuitable for a dog walking facility' because it would be located 'on a private residential drive with no business use'.

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Dummer Parish Council also objected to the application because the area is 'adjacent to fields where horses are sited' and would 'have a negative impact on the wildlife in the fields and surrounding countryside'.

However, some said they support the facility, with resident Lisa Scott saying it would 'be great to have a local solo dog walking field pretty much on my doorstep'.

Another, Leanne Williams, said that secure dog walking fields 'are an amazing facility for those of us with reactive/nervous dogs' adding: "My cavalier would benefit hugely from this."

At a development control meeting on December 20, borough councillors voted to grant the application, subject to conditions.