Secure dog fields: do I need planning permission?

 

Secure dog fields have become a familiar form of rural diversification. A fenced field is booked by the half-hour or hour so that dogs can exercise off lead without meeting other dogs, livestock or members of the public.

The fact that the field remains grass does not mean the planning use remains agricultural. Turning agricultural or paddock land into a commercial dog exercise business will commonly amount to a material change of use, and the physical works often add more planning issues: fencing, gates, hardstanding, parking, a new access, shelters, lighting and signs.

Planning Geek’s Use Class Directory treats a dedicated dog training or exercise use as sui generis. That means there is no general permitted development right allowing agricultural land simply to move into the use.

 

Is a dog field agricultural diversification?

 

It may well be diversification in the everyday sense, and national and local planning policy can support a prosperous rural economy. But diversification is a planning policy argument, not a permitted development right.

If an agricultural field changes to a commercial dog exercise use, the council must consider the change of use on its planning merits. The existing rural business, the amount of land involved, the relationship with nearby settlements, access and traffic, landscape effects and neighbouring amenity can all matter.

 

What parts of a secure dog field may need permission?

 

• the material change of use of the land
• security fencing and gates
• new or altered vehicular access
• parking and hardstanding
• paths, ramps or surfaced exercise areas
• shelters, stores or small buildings
• lighting
• advertising signs
• substantial earthworks or bunds

A proposal should deal with the whole operation rather than obtain permission for the use and leave the access, parking or fencing to be sorted later.

 

Noise can decide the application

 

A secure field normally has fewer dogs present than a boarding kennel, but that does not make noise irrelevant. Barking can be impulsive and intermittent, and the quiet rural background which attracts customers can also make barking more noticeable to nearby residents.

Other sounds include owners calling dogs, whistles, car doors and vehicles arriving and leaving. The council may therefore look closely at the distance to homes, screening, the number of dogs, whether bookings overlap and the proposed operating hours. Our guide to noise in planning applications explains when an acoustic assessment may be useful.

Recent dog-field appeals show that a noise assessment does not win an application simply because its headline figure is below a particular threshold. The Inspector still has to judge the real character, frequency and timing of the noise in its surroundings.

 

Dog waste needs a proper management plan

 

Dog waste is one of those practical details which is easy to overlook on a planning drawing but can become a real amenity problem. A sensible operating plan should explain how frequently the field is checked, where customers place waste, where full bags are stored and how they are removed.

Waste produced by a commercial business is subject to the business waste duty of care. A secure field should therefore have a lawful collection and disposal arrangement rather than allowing bags to build up in an ordinary household bin. Odour, flies and litter can all become planning amenity issues if management is poor.

If equipment or hard surfaces are washed down, dirty water should also be managed properly. Do not assume it can simply drain into a ditch, pond or watercourse.

 

Access and parking are often more important than the field

 

Most secure fields are deliberately away from busy public spaces, which means customers often arrive by car. A rural location can therefore produce a planning tension: it may be perfect for reactive dogs but poorly connected by anything other than private vehicle.

The application should show how vehicles enter and leave safely, where they wait if a customer arrives early, whether two booking slots can overlap and how turning is achieved. A field designed for one customer at a time can still generate several vehicle movements every hour across a full day.

 

Fencing is part of the planning design

 

Secure dog fields often rely on fencing around 1.8 metres or higher. Depending on its location, height and relationship with a highway, the fence itself may require planning permission. Even where the use is acceptable, prominent security fencing can affect landscape character.

Colour, post type, planting and whether the field can use existing hedgerows can make a substantial difference. See our guide to fences and hedges for the general planning rules.

 

How many dogs and how many customers?

 

There is no national planning rule saying a dog field may contain a particular number of dogs. Councils commonly control the intensity through planning conditions where that is necessary, including the maximum number of dogs, number of simultaneous bookings and hours of operation.

Those limits should match the business model. If an application is assessed on the basis of one family and two dogs at a time, it is risky to assume the permission later allows dog walkers to bring large groups.

 

Does a secure dog field need an animal activity licence?

 

A normal self-service exercise field, where the dog’s owner or handler remains responsible for the animal throughout the booking, is different from a boarding kennel or dog day-care business.

If the operator takes dogs into their care, boards them or provides day care, separate animal-activity licensing may apply. Planning permission and an animal activity licence are different regimes: having one does not automatically give you the other.

 

What should a dog field application include?

 

• the existing lawful use of the land
• booking model and maximum dogs at any one time
• operating hours
• fence height, type and colour
• access, visibility, parking and turning
• waste-bin locations and collection arrangements
• noise evidence where homes are nearby
• lighting details if any lighting is proposed
• landscaping and screening
• any shelter, store or other structure

 

What do recent secure dog field appeals show?

 

Recent appeal decisions show why these applications turn on the details rather than the use label alone. In Appeal 6000796 at Moorledge Lane, Chew Magna, decided on 15th January 2026, the Inspector allowed a change from agricultural field to a secure dog field with fencing and a mobile field shelter. The main issues included noise, accessibility and best and most versatile agricultural land, and the operating management plan controlled matters such as booking length, dog numbers and hours.

By contrast, Appeal 6006344 at Burnt Oak Road, High Hurstwood, decided on 22nd July 2026, was dismissed. Highway safety and the living conditions of neighbours, particularly noise, were the principal issues. The contrast is a useful reminder that a well-managed booking system does not remove the need to solve access and neighbour impacts on the particular site.

 

Relevant legislation and guidance

 

• Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 55
• Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987, as amended
• Waste duty of care: code of practice

Other Common Projects

 

 

 

Secure Dog Field Planning Permission Page Updated: 2nd September 2026