Plans for dog breeding kennels in Ebbw Vale have been rejected after a campaign by animal welfare groups.
The proposals to convert a former stable into 30 kennels were turned down by Blaenau Gwent Council’s planning committee, according to the BBC News.
Campaigners said the plans went against a motion unanimously passed by the council in December in support of Lucy’s Law, which states puppies must be sold from their place of birth.
A petition against the proposals at Star Fields, Mountain Road, was signed by about 7,800 people within days of being launched, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
STRICT CONTROL
Planning officers had recommended the plans for approval and advised councillors to judge the application on planning policy, not animal welfare issues, the BBC reported.
Officers were ‘satisfied that strict control would be exercised over the number of breeding of dogs at the development site’. The applicants proposed to keep no more than 25 dogs on site, not including puppies.
The BBC reported that welfare concerns had been raised by residents and several complaints were made to the council about dogs causing noise disturbance.
The committee will consider their grounds for refusal at a meeting this month.
Hope Rescue charity founder Vanessa Waddon said: “This is a really important decision not only for Blaenau Gwent but for other authorities in Wales, too.
“It shows the public is now unanimous in their opposition to puppy farming.”
