Pet owners could soon be able to rent a park to take their dogs for a stroll, according to new plans submitted in Newport. Proposals to turn part of a field east of the city next to Forresters Oak in Chepstow Road, Llandevaud, into a secure dog walking area were submitted to Newport City Council this week.
If approved the plans would see the area rented out to the public on an hourly basis every day between 6am and 9pm during the summer months and from 7am to 7pm in the winter. The dog-walking facility would include a small parking area and would allow two people at a time to use the space.
According to the application, submitted by consultants L A Righton Rural Planning Consultancy on behalf of Miss Gallagher, the project would "serve local residents and those travelling to and from Newport and Chepstow" and would "work well for those wishing to walk their dog on route to a place of work before dropping off with a dog minder or taking to the office".
No major alterations are proposed for the development aside from three or four parking spaces and secure perimeter fencing. The land will remain as pasture and continue to be managed, which the application said would create part-time jobs. Waste collection would be carried out by a specialist dog waste removal company. Improvements to the existing access point off the A48 will also be made so it can be more easily used during the winter.
While parts of the facility would be threatened by flooding the applicants say the field will be closed to the public during periods of flooding. They added that the dog-walking facility would have a "sustainable role to play for local communities" such as Llanbeder, Llandevaud, Langstone, and Newport and would bring economic benefit to other businesses in the area such as nearby cafes and farm shops.
The application said the proposal would provide a "pleasant and secure area where customers can exercise and train their dogs", provide jobs, and "would make for a low-impact, profitable, small rural enterprise" in the area, adding that the land was not profitable for agriculture and would better benefit the community as a dog-walking facility. It will now be considered by planners with a decision due in the coming months.
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