PLANS for dog kennels near Churchstoke have been approved, bringing to an end a six-year planning wrangle.

Powys County Council has given its consent to Melanie Squires' retrospective planning application for kennels, a dog grooming parlour and improved road access at Pleasant View, Pentre, near Churchstoke.

The approval by Powys planners comes six years after an investigation found that Miss Squires was running the kennels without the required permission.

A previous application back in 2020 had been refused because of concerns about the noise that would come from a dog exercise area on nearby land.

In a planning statement, Ms Squires’ agent Berrys said: “The proposal subject is significantly different to the development subject of application in that it excludes the dog exercise area on land adjoining Pleasant View.

“A noise assessment highlights that, with the removal of the dog exercise area, the development will not give rise to an unacceptable impact to the amenities enjoyed by the occupants of nearby dwellings in terms of noise.”

County Times: The site at Pentre near Churchstoke.The site at Pentre near Churchstoke.

Churchstoke Community Council had continued to object to the plans as members believed that noise and pollution issues had not been addressed, and that access to and from the kennels is “inadequate”.

But Powys planning officer Richard Edwards gave the application conditional consent.

He said: “The two buildings in which this application relates to are considered to be of an appropriate scale and design and have incorporated materials that are considered appropriate for their setting.

“The buildings, located within the domestic curtilage of Pleasant View would not be considered to have a detrimental impact on the character of the surrounding area.

“Barking dog noise at all identified noise sensitive receptors will be within acceptable levels, subject to further noise mitigation work on the kennels and operating the site in accordance with the noise management plan. ”

Mr Edwards added that the highways authority was “content” that the B4385 road could cope with the additional vehicle journeys generated by the development.

Mr Edwards said that the application was acceptable subject to a number of conditions.

These included: that the noise levels do not exceed 30 decibels between 11pm and 7am and that improvements to the entrance and car parking are made within 30 days of the planning permission being granted.