Dog boarding plan for majority of Chesterfield house is refused by borough council

A plan to change the majority of a house in a residential area of Chesterfield to dog boarding has been turned down by the borough council.

Sam Morley sought planning permission for the existing use of the property on Miriam Avenue to be amended from solely domestic to residential and commercial.

Acting on an officer’s recommendation, the council refused the application on the grounds that the proposed business use of the dwelling is considered to result in an over-intensive and harmful use of the site. The intensity and nature of the proposed development would adversely affect the amenity of occupiers of neighbouring properties through increased noise and disturbance.

Two objections to the proposal had been submitted to the council and the officer’s report summarised these as: unacceptable noise and disturbance, increased traffic and highway safety, potential for dogs escaping and causing a threat and nuisance to residents, odour and hygiene issues, out of character with the area.

Other than one bedroom, the whole house would be used for the dog boarding, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The officer’s report said that there would be a maximum of six dogs related to the business on site plus one resident dog. The employees would be the residents of the dwelling.

The house has a relatively small rear garden on a corner plot. “Due to the character and layout of the area, the host property is very close to neighbouring properties and their associated private rear gardens. The number of unrelated dogs residing at the application site has the potential to give rise to significantly more noise,” stated the officer.

Mr Morley, who operates Hallie’s Home Boardings at the application site, wrote they would control and monitor noise to minimise the impact on neighbours, including all dogs wanting to board must do a trial night and they would limit the number of dogs in the garden at one time.