Lyme Regis councillors refuse dog training application for Strawberry Fields

Lyme Regis Town Council were asked by Julie Corbin for permission to use vacant land at Strawberry Fields, Charmouth Road, as a new home for her dog training club, K9training4u.

Mrs Corbin requested use of the former pitch and putt paddock and the field for dog training, dog agility and kennel club good citizen training.

But members of the council's town management committee have rejected the proposals.

Cllr Michaela Ellis said: "I'm really concerned about this - there are sheep in the next field.

"This is a business that is going to be running up there and I think we really need to, before we do anything like this, look at what we are going to do at Strawberry Fields.

"We need to do that before we let any business go in there, and then we go out to tender. We should not just allow the first one in like this."

Mrs Corbin requested the town council install a wire fence around the area to ensure dogs cannot escape the field - with costs of materials estimated by council officers estimated at around £800.

In a report to councillors, operations manager Elliott Herbert, said: "This is a commercial business and there is no proposal to make any payment to the council for use of the land.

"The council has an obligation to its precept payers to seek a commercial rent for the use of its assets if they are not provided for community purposes."

The lease with the pitch and putt area expired in September 2014 and the field must be used for sporting and recreational facilities and as a park and ride.

Mayor Owen Lovell said he thought the applicant was 'making a mockery' by not offering to contribute any costs.

"I'm not in favour of this at all" said Cllr Lovell.

"If they wanted to use the field for an event, I might have agreed.

"To start asking to put fences in to enable them to use it and they don't want to pay anything makes a bit of a mockery of it.

"I propose we refuse the request."

Councillors voted to deny the application.