Epperstone residents call on Newark and Sherwood District Council planning committee to reject retrospective dog exercise business plans

Residents have urged a planning authority to reject business plans which have received dozens of complaints.

Planning permission is being sought for the change of use of an agricultural field at Highfields in Epperstone, to a dog exercise area.

The site is currently operated as ‘Mutts Go Nuts’ and for the past few years has been used as an area for people to visit and exercise their dogs in a secure location, with hourly slots available to book.

The plans, submitted to Newark and Sherwood District Council, include the erection of a 1.8 metre metal mesh entrance gate as well as two ‘Grasscrete’ parking spaces.

Over 20 letters of objection have been submitted to the council by neighbours and consultees.

The plans have also twice received unanimous objections by Epperstone Parish Council, which said: “The application is misleading as it does not acknowledge that it is a retrospective application, for a dog exercise business that has been operating illegally for a number of years.”

Many of the other concerns come from horse owners who keep their animals at an equestrian livery yard which neighbours the dog field and makes use of the same access road, raising questions about safety.

It is claimed that the field users regularly park on the verges of the track to let their dogs out and that these dogs on many occassions have spooked the horses, with incidents of horses bolting and allegedly a rider being unseated as a result.

Nottinghamshire County Council Highways also highlighted that the narrow access road — which has incorrectly been identified as Gonalston Lane in planning documents — is not suitable for many vehicles at one time and considered a restriction on its use necessary.

One neighbour, Neil Iliffe, has decided to go further by compiling an information pack complete with historical reports, area layout, and photographs to help build a better understanding of the issues that neighbours’ face.

Speaking to the Advertiser, he said: “I want to know how all of these objections can be disregarded as worthless.

“The stables have been around for decades and never had a problem. I’ve lived there for over 20 years and had no issues. It’s only in the last three years, when the business owners moved in, that the problems started.

“In October last year we discovered that they didn’t have planning permission, which is why it has now gone in retrospectively.

“I live next door and we’ve lost privacy. The field is raised ground, so dog walkers can see straight into our house, even our upstairs bedroom.

“I’ve found dog poo bags thrown over the fence behind my sheds, instead of being taken to a bin. It shouldn’t be happening.

“The customers usually aren’t country people either and don’t understand what it’s like here, so when they come up the narrow lane they can get quite irrate if they have to make way for a horse rider because there is no room to pass.

“They advertise the service for aggressive and anti-social dogs that can’t be walked elsewhere, but that means if they see a horse they’ll go for it and we’ve had a woman fall off her horse recently because of it.

“This was a really nice community, that’s unfortunately been ruined.”

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Planning documents state that the dog business currently operates from 8am to 6pm daily.

However, Mr Iliffe says that customers have been allowed to book as early as 7am after he was woken up by the sound of dogs barking or dog walkers mistakenly knocking on his door in the early hours believing he was the business owner.

“It’s not just what’s been done, it’s how it’s been done, with no communication or regard for anyone else,“ said Mr Iliffe.

The application (23/02141/FUL) was due to be discussed at the last meeting of Newark and Sherwood District Council’s planning committee but was removed from the agenda after additional material was provided by Mr Iliffe.

An alternative meeting date has yet to be be confirmed.

The owner of Mutts Go Nuts strenuously denied many of the claims made and that many comments made were not accurate .

The owners of the field said they have over the last 12 months received rude and, in their opinion, aggressive emails, which they have kept on record .

They strongly refuted allegations that dog waste had being thrown on to the neighbours’ property. A dog waste bin is provided on site .

They pointed out that the vast majority of users come in one car with one or two dogs, and the field hours were strictly limited to 8am to 6pm. Users do not enter the field at 7am as has been stated with the only people accessing the field at this time is the owner with his own dogs .

Clients book in hourly slots and the number of cars and visitors on site at any one time are strictly limited .