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08
Nov
UK's 'recognised leader' in dog day care retracts Harrogate plans
Plans to open a dog day care centre near Harrogate have been withdrawn.
The application, lodged by Bruce’s Pet Care Ltd in September, sought approval to convert agricultural land at Spring House Farm between North Rigton and Brackenthwaite into the dog day care centre.
Spring House Farm is currently used for horse grazing and exercising, and is the home of Harrogate Riding Centre.
The riding centre was not set to be impacted by the proposal, as Bruce's Doggy Day Care - the company's trading name – planned to take over just 0.95 acres of the 23-acre farm.
The proposed dog day care facility, which would have been one of the latest additions to the existing 11 Bruce’s Doggy Day Care sites, would have accommodated 48 dogs.
Wooden shipping containers were planned to create indoor spaces for dogs and staff, and the company proposed to use vans as "dog buses" to pick up the dogs and drop them home.
However, the plans were scrapped this week.
The Stray Ferret asked Bruce’s Doggy Day Care, which claims to be the 'UK's recognised leader' in dog day care on its website, why the application had been retracted and if it would re-submit plans.
A spokesperson said:
This decision was made following advice from our expert land and planning team and is necessary to allow for further essential assessments related to the project. These assessments, while unforeseen at the application stage, are crucial to ensure the highest standards of planning and compliance are met.
We remain committed to opening in North Yorkshire and bringing our market-leading dog day care facility to the community, at Spring House Farm or an alternative location.
The spokesperson added the company will “work swiftly to complete the necessary internal consultations to confirm the viability of this site alongside potential others”.
Bruce's Doggy Day Care planned to operate the Spring House Farm site between 8am and 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.
The proposed site.
The company submitted a noise management plan in support of the application, which said staff work to keep barking “to an absolute minimum”.
It says barking is “monitored continuously” throughout the day and is immediately addressed by staff.
North Rigton Parish Council made no objections to the proposal, but an environmental health officer raised concerns over potential noise levels at the site.
They said the dog day care centre could result in "barking, whining and howling", which could have an adverse impact on surroundings.
Environmental Health recommended the applicant submit a further noise mitigation report, taking into account all potential noise levels and how nearby residents would be "protected from noise from the proposed development".
The Stray Ferret spoke to Harrogate Riding Centre when the plans were submitted in September, when a spokesperson said:
The riding centre would stay and the day care wouldn’t interfere with our operations. With the rising costs [of leased land], we had to look at other options to help bring revenue in.
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