Newport dog park plans given green light with conditions following neighbour objections

A new, enclosed dog park is set to open in Newport after council officers gave the application by King Pet Care of Newport the green light.

The change of use application means the six-acre field at The Croft, on Pitchcroft Lane in Chetwynd Aston, will be turned from agricultural land to a dog exercise area.

The planning statement said: “The key purposes of a field of this sort are for responsible dog owners who want to let their dog experience the freedom to run and play without worrying about traffic, sheep, cattle or other dogs; have dogs who are reactive to other dogs; wish to work on their pet’s recall; have a new puppy or rescue dog; just wish to train their dog off-leash in an enclosed area without the risk of interruptions from other dogs.”

When open, it will be the second secure dog walking field for hire in Newport.

The go-ahead has been given with some conditions including terms that aim to protect an Iron Age farmstead on the site.

Initially, the Council’s Built Heritage Specialists, Shropshire Council Archaeology and Historic England all expressed concerns over the impact that the proposal would have on the scheduled ancient monument – largely around the visual impact of the proposed fencing, how this would be constructed on the site and where it would be located in relation to the scheduled ancient monument.

The decision notice said: “The applicant has engaged in conversation with the Historic England and Shropshire Council Archaeology and has provided amended plans.

“Shropshire Council have reviewed these amendments and consider them to be in line with the amendments requested by both Shropshire Council and Historic England.

“A condition has been requested which will require a site visit to be undertaken by Shropshire Council when excavation works for the fencing/gate post holes are excavated, to ensure that any archaeological features are not disturbed/accurately recorded.”

The initial application proposed a site that would host 16 dogs in total which led to several objections from Chetwynd Aston residents regarding the noise levels.

The proposal has since been amended to mean numbers will be limited to no more than four dogs in any one field – eight in total.

With that change, the planning officer said that “the proposal will not have a significantly detrimental impact upon the amenity of neighbouring properties”.

The opening hours of the site will also be restricted to 7am to 9pm in the summer, and 8am to 7pm in winter.