Plans approved for new RSPCA facility to rehabilitate dogs 'that have been subject to cruelty'

Plans for a new RSPCA facility in County Durham to help prepare neglected and abused dogs for re-homing have been given the green light.
RSPCA Felledge Animal Centre. Picture: GoogleRSPCA Felledge Animal Centre. Picture: Google
RSPCA Felledge Animal Centre. Picture: Google

Earlier in September, plans were lodged for land at the RSPCA Felledge Animal Centre in Chester Moor, near Chester-le-Street.

This included erecting a new portacabin structure at the rear of the entrance building, next to the main customer car park.

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A design and access statement submitted with the plans sets out how the building would be used by the animal welfare charity.

The main use would be rehabilitation for dogs “that have been subject to cruelty and have never experienced a home environment.”

The planning statement reads: “This application is made for full planning permission to allow for the provision of a new portacabin to provide rehabilitation to neglected and abused dogs that need training to be adapted to a home/internal environment for the purposes of re-homing.”

It goes on to say: “The portacabin will be fitted with typical furnishings you would find in an ordinary home with the purpose of adjusting the dog to a home environment.”

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Following consultation, Durham County Council’s planning department approved the application on Wednesday, November 4.

The portacabin will be set back from the Felledge Animal Centre’s main entrance along Beaney Lane and as it is surrounded by farmland, it will not be seen from any residential properties.

In addition, it will be wrapped in a vinyl overlay and finished in a photographic image of the surrounding trees, bushes and grassland to help it blend into the area.

A council decision report adds: “The portacabin would support an existing business and would be viewed in the context of the overall site.

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“Whilst it would be located within the existing grounds and predominantly screened by existing buildings and vegetation the applicant is also proposing timber fencing around the portacabin to further soften its appearance.

“It is considered that the proposal would not have a detrimental impact on the openness or appearance of the Green Belt, on the landscape or neighbouring amenity in accordance with policies in the County Durham Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework.”

The development must be brought forward within the next three years.

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