£18m ‘world-class’ dogs home plan for Welsh capital
PLANS for a new “worldclass” dogs home in Cardiff have been revealed. The Dogs Trust wants to spend £18m developing a site at Nettlefold Road in Splott into what they describe as a “world-class rehoming centre”.
Most of the site is vacant, but part of it is owned by steel company Celsa and a deal has been arranged to lease the land should the charity get planning permission.
The new facility would include a visitor centre, café, 20 rehoming kennels, and a veterinary examination room and operating suite.
There would also be a bespoke facility for puppies and a training hall or play barn.
It would also have a hydrotherapy and physiotherapy suite.
In total it would have space for 157 dogs.
There would be a number of external buildings including a selfcontained intake building for new arrivals. There would also be a staff accommodation building as staff have to be on site 24/7.
The new centre would see 50 jobs created and the charity say that they are in negotiations with the council themselves to help them make savings in their own dog care budget. It would likely be open between 7am and 9pm.
The centre would be open to the public between 9am and 5pm from Monday to Sunday and the charity predicts there would be up to 2,000 people visiting the centre a month.
The charity says that Cardiff does not currently have a “professional dog welfare organisation operating on the necessary scale to meet the prevention and curative needs of the local population”.
The plans are for the centre to be sustainable and the design would include sound-proofing, glass-fronted pens, and external acoustic screens.
The report submitted to Cardiff council for consideration reads: “Developing the site as a Dogs Trust rehoming centre represents a significant opportunity to put an underused site to beneficial use.”
It concludes: “It has been established that as a result of a lack of dog rehoming facilities in Cardiff there is a significant need for a rehoming facility. Accordingly, Dogs Trust has undertaken a search of potential sites within the region and agreed terms to purchase the subject to receipt of a satisfactory planning permission.
“Given its location within the urban fabric of Cardiff, the site benefits from excellent transportation links from a range of options. It is within a highly sustainable location.”
A Dogs Trust centre has been touted for a number of years, but a formal application has now been submitted.
The application is available to view on the Cardiff council website.