Retrospective plans have been lodged for dog walking field near Lichfield in operation since last year

The plans submitted to Lichfield District Council show the field in Packington began operating in November last year.

The plans would see a three-acre field, previously used for arable farming converted for dog walking. The change of use forms part of a farm diversification scheme. It is planned that income from dog walking will be used to support the wider 97 acre farming enterprise.

The facility is accessed from a track north of Packington Hall off the A51. Documents state that it is conveniently located and is a five minute drive from both both towns

The field used for dog walking includes space for up to two cars and a timber shed, enclosed by a 1.8 metre security fence. Customers are able to book the field for 55 minutes at a time and only one customer is able to access the area at a time, with a maximum of nine dogs.

Customers are able to book access to the facility starting from 6am until 10pm. To address potential noise issues, a mitigation plan has been submitted alongside the planning documents.

The plan includes staggered booking times, CCTV monitoring and additional screening. At the point of booking users agree to prevent excessive or persistent barking, maintain reasonable noise levels and report any concerns. Customers who do not follow the rules could face being removed from the booking system.

Planning documents state: “The field is a small part of the farmholding and the dog walking field provides the farmer with a valuable income as a form of farm diversification, which is supported by national and local planning policies. The field is in a convenient location within a five minute drive of Lichfield and Tamworth and benefits from an existing vehicular access.

The trip generation is limited to a maximum of 2 trips per hour due to the booking system, which would not have a material impact on the local road network. The use of the dog walking field is limited to 1 customer per hour and the absence of artificial lighting discourages use outside of daylight hours.

The site is closely monitored by the operator with a 24/7 CCTV camera and customers are required to sign up to the terms of use, including no undue noise and disturbance to nearby residents, such that any breach of the terms can be enforced by the operator.”

The application and all supporting documents can be viewed on Lichfield District Council’s planning portal, reference number 26/00263/COU. The application is currently under consideration by planning officers.