Plans for new dog grooming salon

DOG owners in Earl Shilton could soon have a new place to get their pooches scrubbed up.

Plans have been filed to set up a dog grooming salon in a small shed in the back garden of 178 Station Road.

The business would offer a collection and return service for the pooches and there is parking on the property’s driveway which can be used as a turning point.

Sam Foord applied to create the salon in the rear of his property after he spent the last two years training as a dog groomer in his spare time and going to college to get a City and Guilds qualification.

He said in a planning document filed with the application: “I only intend on grooming two or three dogs a week and it will take several months to build up a client list to this scale.

“Each dog will only be at my residence for a maximum of 3 hours (shorter time once my grooming speed improves with experience).”

The shed is made of timber and has an internal floor dimension of 2.5m x 3.5m and has been insulated and sound proofed, to cut out noise from the hair dryer and trimmer, would be used for up to half an hour per pooch.

No external or structural changes would be needed for the project and there is already electricity fitted in the building.

Plumbing would be required to install pipework within the building for a bath and water pipes and waste outlet to a nearby sewer.

A secure door and locks are already fitted as well as security lighting while all hand grooming equipment would be removed at the end of each night and stored in the house.

The building will only have a dog bath and grooming table permanently secured there and is suitably insured.

Clients would only be at the residence for a few minutes for drop off/pick up.

Any dogs brought to the house will be kept on leads at all times while transitioning and there will be no dog boarding or dogs kept in cages.

The shed is currently used for storage of household items and gardening tools, and it would continue to be used for that purpose, taking up about 40 per cent of the shed.

The business would operate Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm, with occasional evening appointments and on Saturdays until 1pm.