Plans to transform field at junction with Preston Road, Wing Road and Oakham Road, in Preston, near Oakham, into dog-walking site approved

Plans to transform a field on the outskirts of a village into a dog-walking area have been approved.

Rutland County Council first received the application from 24/Three Consultants, on behalf of Jamie Ward and Katie Cardew, the owners of the land in Preston, near Oakham, in March.

The proposal sought permission to change the use of land at the junction of Preston Road/Wing Road and Oakham Road into a dog-walking facility with parking.

The site, which is currently used as a horse paddock, will be divided into two sections, retaining a smaller horse paddock and allocating approximately 2.4 acres for dogs.

In the design and access statement, it said the owners wanted to provide an open and secure exercise area for dogs that may not be able to be off the lead in public spaces, such as dogs with behavioural or recall issues.

The site could also be used to train dogs.

“There are very few places in the local area where dogs are allowed to run freely in a secure environment, without the worry of traffic, other dogs or people,” added the design and access statement.

“The aim of this project is to create a secure, well-managed dog-walking facility, providing a valuable resource for local dog owners while preserving the rural character of the site.

“The proposal carefully integrates the dog-walking field within the existing landscape, taking account of potential noise, landscaping and visual impacts through the design and management of the site.”

The field will be fenced on all sides with 1.8m-high deer fencing.

There will be additional screening with obscured mesh/netting along the boundaries with the horse paddock to reduce potential distractions for reactive dogs and for people crossing the field through the paddock.

To minimise noise from barking dogs, a booking system will be set up for owners, who will have 55 minutes to use the field, with a five-minute changeover period.

This will also help to reduce the number of cars on the site at any one time.

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The site will be lit with two solar-powered bollard lights.

It will be open between 6am and 9pm during summer and between 8am and 4pm during winter.

The application was approved last Tuesday (October 14).