Sunderland dog day care centre plan won't go ahead after noise and road safety concerns

Sunderland City Council’s planning department received an application linked to 97 – 99 Newcastle Road earlier this year.

The site, which sits on the junction with Crozier Street in the Southwick ward, was previously a tool and equipment hire centre before partly operating as a café.

New plans from applicant Family Vibes Ltd aimed to set up a dog day care centre, ‘Yappy Days doggy daycare’, in part of the building adjacent to Newcastle Road.

Those behind the scheme said the business would provide dog walking and pet care services, including “providing a safe environment with constant supervision where owners can leave their dogs during the day”.

Customers were expected to bring dogs to the centre at different times but applicants stressed they would offer a ‘pick-up service’ to help “reduce the possibility of incidental congestion”.

During the planning application process however, concerns were raised by key council departments including transport and environmental health.

A council report stated that the applicant was served a notice that the application would be recommended for refusal by the council and had “agreed to withdraw the application”.

Council consultation documents state that highways issues with the site were linked to “lack of on-site parking to suit the needs of the development”.

A council report added there had been “a number of accidents within close proximity of the site, with a number of them being located at the junction from Crozier Street onto Newcastle Road”.

It was argued that the “proposed development would intensify traffic associated with the site, with the potential of causing indiscriminate parking on the surrounding highway network which has existing issues in relation to parking and traffic”.

Applicants previously said the building had been renovated to reduce noise impacts on residential premises.

Although measures were planned to reduce noise from dogs barking, including partitioned areas, applicants said that if a dog “barks constantly” it would “be returned home or the owners contacted to collect it”.

In this situation, the customer would also be “asked not to return the dog until they can show the problem has been addressed”.

After assessing the dog day care centre application, Sunderland City Council’s environmental health department maintained a “holding objection” linked to “insufficient supporting information”.

A consultation statement noted that the applicant’s noise assessment did “not contain any calculation of the potential for dog vocalisations (barks, whines, howls etc) to impact on the nearest noise-sensitive properties”.

The consultation statement added: “There is also no assessment of the potential impact of dogs barking in the internal and external areas of the dog day care centre on the wider neighbourhood.

“A list of noise management controls to minimise dog vocalisations are included, however it is unlikely that all dog noise will be able to be eliminated by using these methods.

“The existing windows of the dog day care area appear to be single-glazed and therefore less effective in containing noise.

“It is also not clear from the assessment what the maximum number of dogs will be on-site at one time.

“It is therefore recommended that further information is provided on noise control for the development including physical noise amelioration measures where necessary to ensure noise from the dog day care area does not escape into the flat above or to the surrounding neighbourhood residents”.

The environmental health statement added there was “no indication from the information provided within the application as to how the outside area and adjoining rear entrance is going to be used/ adapted to create a suitable environment to offer dog day services”.

The planning application was officially withdrawn on December 6, 2023.

Any similar proposed development at the site will require a further planning application to Sunderland City Council.

For more information on the shelved planning application, visit the council’s planning portal website and search reference: 23/02121/FUL