Clydebank: Faifley woman hits out at plans for dog daycare centre

Proposals for change of use for business purposes of Cochno Town Farm were submitted by Victoria Paterson, of the farm, to East Dunbartonshire Council (EDC) on December 21.

The planning application states that despite the land, which sits on the outskirts of Faifley, having a Clydebank address and postcode, it does fall within the boundaries of EDC.

Site plan with boundary in red and change of use buildings in blue (Image: ILI Group)

Disgruntled Faifley residents have voiced their objections to the proposals, with many claiming that they were not directly consulted - despite living right next to the fields.

Linda McCready, who lives close to Cochno Town Farm, told the Post she is concerned about the impact the proposed plans could have on the value of her home.

Linda said: “It’s going to affect all of the homes on the West Dunbartonshire side especially those on Whitehill Crescent and Lawmuir Crescent as they look onto the fields. 

“They [EDC] only sent out 25 letters to nearby homeowners, they didn’t even consult Knowes Housing Association who house all of the tenants on Whitehill.

“Everyone who received the letters are homeowners. If we go to sell our homes, who is going to want a house where there will be dogs barking from around 7/8am in the morning to 9pm at night in a flood-lit field?

“The letters came through on January 12 and we were given 21 days to voice our concerns.

"This period came to an end on Friday (February 3) and we’re now all just waiting to hear if it's been passed or not. 

“I understand EDC would have been looking at it as ‘it only affects a couple of people on our side’ but in West Dunbartonshire, it affects so many homes as it’s on our back doorstep.

“There’s a house within two feet of the boundary.” 

Entrance of subject site [Cochno Town Farm] (Image: East Dunbartonshire Council)

Plans for the dog daycare centre propose transforming the current site into a shop, kennels/animal boarding, grooming facility, and a ‘dog-run’ field.

If successful the new centre will be located just a couple hundred feet from another ‘dog-run field’ in Bearsden. 

Linda explained that some of her neighbours have expressed their concerns over the close proximity of the two facilities, particularly over noise.

She added: “There are homes that already overlook the current dog-run fields and already deal with dogs barking all day long. 

“A few people work from home and some are doing night shifts so they’re coming home hoping to get a sleep and they’ve got no chance with dogs barking at the front and to the side of them.

“We’ve all submitted our objections. After the letters came through some of the neighbours got to speaking and through word of mouth we discovered a number of people hadn’t received one and therefore didn’t know anything about it. 

“Knowes Housing were also contacted and the woman on the phone said they weren’t aware of it. I hope it’s not allowed. 

“They’ve already got a dog-run field right across the road, there are three fields there, why would they [EDC] allow there to be four dog fields within 100ft? It’s excessive.”

Douglas McAllister, West Dunbartonshire Provost, told the Post he believes the plans will have an adverse impact on his constituents and that the location is “not suitable”.

Provost McAllister said: “Faifley residents have contacted me to express their objections to this proposal. I share their concerns. 

“This is not a suitable location for this type of activity. It is simply too close to the residential streets.

"The planning application will be considered by East Dunbartonshire Council. 

“I understand that residents were considering a petition of protest but my advice is to write to East Dunbartonshire Council with letters of representation expressing reasons for objection. 

“In my opinion, this proposal will have an adverse impact on my constituents.

"It is simply too close to their homes. There is a reason why such facilities are normally located outwith residential areas.

"I’ve asked the Head of Planning at West Dunbartonshire Council, Pamela Clifford to contact her colleagues in East Dunbartonshire to express our concerns and I understand that Councillor Lawrence O’Neill our spokesperson for planning at WDC has also objected to this proposal.”

Ann Davie, depute chief executive of East Dunbartonshire Council, said: “An application - TP/ED/22/0861 - has been received and is currently being assessed.

"We have consulted all neighbouring properties who require to be consulted. Those within 20 metres of the application site - including a number in West Dunbartonshire.

“Those properties outwith 20 metres of the site will not receive a neighbour notification letter, but are welcome to submit comments.

“We have also sent a formal consultation to West Dunbartonshire Council requesting their comments.”