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Dairy Flat residents are petitioning Auckland Council to have their say on plans to triple the capacity of a dog daycare and boarding facility in Bawden Road.
If resource consent is granted, the Pets & Pats canine country club will be able to increase the number of dogs at its daycare from 60 to 200 from Monday to Friday, and from 12 to 30 dogs staying overnight, seven days a week.
Two neighbours, Tim Cuttress and Loreen Ozolins, presented a petition to this month’s Rodney Local Board meeting asking for support to make the application notified, so neighbours could make submissions on the plans.
Mr Cuttress said Council had already received “numerous” complaints about the business, which had a “massive impact” on local residents
“The noise will be relentless,” he said. “The application will lead to significant impact on our amenity. Residents’ wellbeing is at risk.”
He claimed that dogs sometimes escaped, endangering stock.
“Just yesterday, there was boundary breach that put livestock at risk,” he said. “A dog got into sheep, and it took three staff to catch it.”
Mr Cuttress said attempts by neighbours to discuss the issue with the business owner and staff had got nowhere.
“Loreen has tried to have conversations, but they refuse to communicate with anybody,” he said. “We’re trying to remain calm and positive and find a solution, but it’s almost impossible to have a conversation with anyone.”
Board chair Phelan Pirrie said notification of resource consent applications was an operational matter for Council staff, and he encouraged people to contact the relevant planner. However, he added that board members had suggested that this particular application should be notified.
The Pets & Pats website says the facility is deliberately a small, premium boutique service that doesn’t take many dogs. Its owner, Angela Beer, was approached by Hibiscus Matters, but said she had been advised not to comment.
A Council spokesperson said the application was still in the very early stages of processing and no decisions had yet been made regarding notification.
