Dog exercise field planned beside A1(M) at Catterick Village

A planning application has been filed with North Yorkshire Council seeking to change the use of a field near Catterick Village to a secure dog exercise facility.

According to planning documents, the site would operate on a pre-booked basis, allowing dog owners to exercise their pets in a safe, enclosed environment.

No buildings are proposed as part of the development.

The scheme includes the installation of post-and-wire mesh fencing around the field boundary while retaining the existing access, parking arrangements and gated entrance.

A section of the site would remain unfenced to maintain a wildlife corridor along an existing hedgerow.

Applicants say the facility would be managed as a low-intensity operation, with typically only one user booking the field at a time.

Opening hours would be restricted to between 7am and 7pm to minimise disturbance to nearby residents.

Dog owners would be required to remove waste, with bins provided and emptied regularly.

The planning statement submitted to North Yorkshire Council argues that the development would have little impact on the surrounding countryside.

Existing hedgerows would be retained to provide natural screening, while traffic levels are expected to remain low due to the advance-booking system. The document also states that noise would be limited because only one party would use the field at any given time.

The proposal includes measures intended to protect wildlife, with ecological connectivity maintained through the unfenced hedgerow corridor.

Applicants also state that, as no buildings or changes to ground levels are proposed, the scheme would not increase flood risk.

Planning documents conclude that the development would provide a well-managed use of the land while maintaining its rural character and minimising traffic, noise and visual impacts.

A decision on the application will be made by North Yorkshire Council in due course.