Plans for a dog walking exercise facility in a Rutland village have been refused.

David Blackmore of Lodge Farm, Far Wood Lane, Greetham, applied to Rutland County Council to change the use of 1 acre of his 13-acre smallholding.

His application said the facility would be fully enclosed with a 6ft galvanised stock fence all round for safety, with a double entrance gate of 4ft wide to prevent loose dogs on entry/exit from the field."

He continued: "I would like to rent the field out for short periods of time (15/30/60mins) to allow private sole use of a fully enclosed, safe field to exercise their dog(s). The field will offer a service for dogs walkers with nervous, fearful, shy, reactive or any other type of dog a place to safely exercise their dogs off lead without encountering triggers for adverse reactions. Elderly or less mobile owners will be able to exercise their dogs off lead without having to walk themselves.

"Owners who are having problems training a recall and dog/puppies without a reliable recall will benefit from the field. The field can not bee seen by the public, is not on a public road or in a residential area. Dog owners will provide their own water for dogs and use their own waste bags to collect and take home all dog waste as they would if they were out on a walk anywhere else."

The application added: "We feel that this service would benefit the local community, there are a high percentage of dog owners in Rutland and currently only a couple of free run paddocks and fields used for various endeavours."

However, a report by council planning staff noted objection from the County's Highways Department over access being direct from the A1 dual-carriageway. There was also no public transport access and being in open countryside, was not considered 'sustainable'. Therefore, it did not meet council planning policies and should be refused.