Owners of 'perfect dog holiday hotel' in north Derbyshire seek change of use consent for smallholding after erecting four kennels

Mr and Mrs Humphries have owned land at Willow Lodge Farm, Barrow Hill for 25 years, having previously rented it for nine years.

They obtained planning permission for a mobile home on the site in 2001 as a security measure after some of their animals and equipment was stolen and there were incidents of anti-social behaviour and flytipping. Consent for a permanent dwelling was given in 2008.

Three years later, one of the stable buildings was re-roofed and redesigned to enable its use as a kennel for one of the applicant’s dogs and Mr Humphries’ mother’s dog when she went on holiday. Mrs Humphries then started to look after the dogs of friends and family when they went on holiday as a favour.

Word of mouth spread about the care and attention given to canine guests and the Humphries were approached by more people who asked if they could board their dogs with them. The applicants refurbished another building on the smallholding to provide more kenneling space in 2013.

Mr and Mrs Humphries obtained their first full boarding kennel licence in April 2017 and have since operated as the commercial business Willow Lodge Farm Kennels.

In 2021 the business had 11 clients on its books and by 2023 there were 98.

To accommodate the increased demand, the owners constructed four new kennels on the smallholding between 2021 and 2023.

In December 2023 the applicants were visited by a council enforcement officer who told them that they needed planning permission for the use of part of the smallholding and the erection of the four kennels. The applicants were unaware that planning consent was needed and said that they would not have gone ahead with any use or building work had they known that permission was required.

An application has now been submitted on behalf of the owners to the borough council for change of use of land from smallholding to commercial dog boarding use and erection of dog kennels.

Five letters of support have come from pet owners. Jamie and Wendy Johnson highlighted the five-star rating awarded by the licensing body and said that their two dogs were given five-star service. Their letter stated: “They have Fish Friday and get treats i.e pig ears at no extra cost and includes food that they are eating at home. We had a small dog which was blind and she (Ann) accommodated for her and did a temp modified kennel to make her stay safe.

“It is a perfect dog holiday hotel and the improvements they have made give dogs a lot more than being in a basic kennel, they have a proper dog house with insulated walls with heating if needed and dry covered run for the British wet weather and an outdoor deck area to sunbathe and a grass area where they can come and go as they please. When we leave our dogs we know they are cared for and that they are secure, they know when we pull up to the gate where they are and they can't wait to start there doggy holiday knowing what they are staying in.”

Anna White wrote: “ The independent dog houses are fantastic and after experiences with other “commercial” style kennels I was so happy to find the excellent facilities at Willow Lodge and knew instantly on visiting prior to me first boarding my dog that it was something special.

“Bow (my dog) has now been boarded at Willow Lodge numerous times and will be boarding again this year at least twice. He receives one on one care/time and isn’t forced to be in a long line of other kenneled dogs. He has his own space and it’s by far a much better set up than any other boarding facility that I’ve been to. Please allow Willow Lodge to retain their dog boarding as it currently is as it would be a huge loss to their customers and their dogs. I genuinely would not leave Bow in any other kennel which means if Willow Lodge cannot stay as it is then I would be unable to go on holiday for the duration of the rest of my dog’s life.”

The applicants’ current boarding licence states that they can have 15 dogs on the premises. However only 10-12 dogs are on site at any one time, to allow for contingency cover if a client is late to pick up their dog.