Animal Ark Planning Statement

10 February 2023

The Planning Department

Animal Ark Unit 4/5 1 Main Road Onchan Isle of Man IM3 1BA Tel:

Dear Sir/Madam

Animal Ark Planning Application

My name is Hayley Allwright. I opened Animal Ark Ltd back in October 2016. My dream was to create a safe, fun place for the dogs of the Island, which I have succeeded in, having provided over six years’ service to hundreds of dogs. I am writing today to ask you to grant me planning permission to erect a shelter in ……… and I am setting out fuller details below.

Over the past six years At Animal Ark we have:

• • made it possible for many people who previously may not have been able to, to have a job and own a pet;
• • helped socialise and train many dogs, especially following lockdowns when puppies were unable to socialise;
• • worked through Covid and helped those who were vulnerable, shielding or in isolation.
• • helped those in crisis;
• • looked after dogs whose owners were moving home, attending funerals / hospital appointments and the like;
• • helped charities with the rehoming of dogs.

When we initially opened back in 2016, we took a Unit at Corkills Garage. We carried out much work there to customise and shape the Unit so that it is safe and perfect for purpose.

The only downside to the Unit is the lack of outdoor space which we know is vital to the dogs’ well-being. We therefore started walking two or three dogs on a lead around the area so that they could go to the toilet in a natural environment. This is vital when toilet training them.

• As we became busier, we found it increasingly difficult to get everyone out as it was timeconsuming to take such small groups each time. We then invested in a work vehicle in which we safely installed kennels and this allows us to take larger groups on better walks.

• We were using the plantations and beautiful Isle of Man countryside to walk the dogs in for an hour before returning to our Unit. I was, however, very concerned that I was potentially putting us at risk as there was always an element of doubt as to how the general public’s dogs would react to our dogs. I couldn’t be confident that the general public’s dogs would not pose a risk to the dogs in our care, and our dogs’ safety was paramount.
• At that stage, we weren’t in a position to buy our own field. In October 2019, after years of searching, we finally found a field that we could rent as our own. We started taking all the dogs to this field and it was wonderful to see them enjoy their time outdoors without the worry of whom we could bump into. We would take them out for an hour in groups of no more than six per staff member before returning to the Unit at Corkills Garage.

However, as it was not our own field, we were not able to securely fence it, which meant some dogs had to remain on a lead for safety, and therefore not every dog got to expend their energy fully and enjoy their time equally.

It was also difficult to juggle leads when there were a few dogs that required them. I also feared that one day the field rental might not be renewed so we really had no security of having a ‘forever field’, and it is a difficult thing to find such a field.

This is when I decided that we had to buy our own field, fence it as securely as possible and allow every dog to have the freedom it deserves.

Early in February 2022 I had finally saved enough to buy our very own field for the dogs, and we found a perfect one to buy. I applied for planning permission to allow us to change the use from agricultural to business use before agreeing to purchase and we were very fortunate to be successful in our planning application, so we went ahead and purchased it.

As a law-abiding citizen I have stuck to my planning conditions: we take the dogs down there during the day, we make three trips to the field in order get everyone out before returning to the Unit. We have not built or erected anything, and neither have we used it for anything outside of the planning terms.

The field has been a massive asset to Animal Ark and has improved the well-being of all the dogs in our care. They absolutely love their time at the field. It has also improved staff working conditions by giving them security as well as reassurance that the dogs are safe, and unable to get out. It has also improved staff’s wellbeing by allowing them time outdoors.

We keep the field very clean, picking up all excrement and taking it back to the Unit to dispose of.

It has now been a year since we acquired the field and although initially we had no intention of building anything on the land, we have realised that having some kind of shelter will be most beneficial to us: to the dogs and staff.

The reasons we need some shelter in the field are as follows. We need to:

• o Protect the dogs from the elements i.e from the rain, hail, snow and in the summer, the sun.
• o Store equipment such as toys, pools and water bowls (at the moment equipment often gets ruined by the rain or wind).
• o Provide a toilet for staff to use when at the field.
• o Provide somewhere where staff can warm up when they get cold/ get changed when they get wet and somewhere to go to if they need shade in the summer.
• o Provide somewhere where we can wash the dogs before returning to daycare as they can get very muddy (this would prevent our van from getting dirty and will save us a lot of time back at the Unit).
• o Provide somewhere covered for our bins as they regularly get blown over (we take them back at the end of the day but during the day they stay in the field and we deposit excrement in them).
• o Provide somewhere to store first-aid equipment for dogs and staff in case of injury and somewhere to apply first aid treatment if necessary.
• o Have the ability to separate dogs safely in the group when needed.

And finally, and very importantly, if we have a shelter in the field, it will reduce our carbon footprint as we wouldn’t need to go back and forth in our vehicle as regularly as we do now: in other words, we could remain there for longer rather than going there as frequently. Clearly, we would still return to the unit at Corkills Garage after sessions at the field.

In addition to the above reasons, I would like to add that we would be looking to erect an agricultural building, so it would be in keeping in with the surroundings, and it would not look out of place.

We would also want to plant approximately 0.5 hectares of trees and bushes and we have already made contact with the woodlands officer Peter Keenan, who has been to the area to discuss this with us. This will make the land look more appealing and evergreen, blending in with the natural surroundings. It will also provide habitat to many species of insects and birds and will help clean the air we breathe.

I trust you find all of the above on order. If you need any assistance clarifying any part of the application, then please do not hesitate to contact myself or my partner Lee on .

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We really feel this will make a great difference to our dogs as well as our staff who work so hard in providing great care to the Island’s dogs.

I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully

Hayley Allwright