Plans to build a dog walking facility on land near a town's common have been refused amid a series of objections.
The application, lodged by Beccles Town Council clerk Paul Cunningham on behalf of the Beccles Fenland Charity Trust, hoped to create the site on vacant land south of the Beccles common.
The proposal was to build a six-foot high wire fence around the perimeter and create a car park for the facility.
Documents detailed that the nearby Beccles Common is a "safe place for dog walking" with many letting their dogs "run free".
As a result, the plans added, "some dogs, especially rescue dogs, are intimidated [by other dogs on the Common]", and the facility would therefore provide a safe walking spot for the timid canines.
The applicant outlined their ambition to "hire the field out in an hour or half-hour slots at a small fee to pay for upkeep" with "no more than two additional car movements per hour".
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Plans stated that the facility would only "operate the facility in daylight hours".
Beccles Town Council offered no objection to the plans.
In their comment, they addressed concerns raised about funding by stating that "public money is not being used" as the applicant will finance the project.
But one objector, a resident in Worlingham, stated that this is "not the first time the council have bullied in Common issues".
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Other objectors outlined how there is a duplicate facility some "150 yards" from the field where the new plans were outlined.
The owners of the Paws for Tea Tearoom said that the council had not "considered the impact this will have on us".
Another member of the public said the council had a "vendetta" against the business and accused the council of being "obsessed in causing unrest to a small business".
Additional concerns about the plans highlighted parking issues along Common Lane and the effects the development could have on the environment.
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