A dog daycare business has been left with nine months to cease its “unauthorised activities” on a field in St Martin after a retrospective attempt to formalise the site’s use was rejected due to concerns over a loss of “good quality agricultural land”.
Assistant Environment Minister Mike Jackson has dismissed two appeals submitted by The Barkley Club following an independent review by a planning inspector.
The site is identified as good quality agricultural land – the loss of which could only be justified in exceptional circumstances under the policies set out in the Island Plan
government statement
The field has been used as a dog daycare business since August 2022 and has operated since then without the necessary planning permission, prompting the involvement of the Regulation Department at Infrastructure and Environment, which issued an enforcement notice in September.
Following the dismissal of the appeals, the enforcement notice has been upheld with a revised timeframe giving the business nine months “to enable the cessation of all unauthorised activities on the site”.
Outlining the decision in a statement, the Government said: “While the inspector acknowledged that the facility is professionally managed and meets a demand for dog care services, he concluded that these benefits did not outweigh the clear policy conflicts.
“The site is identified as good quality agricultural land the loss of which could only be justified in exceptional circumstances under the policies set out in the Island Plan.”
