DINAS POWYS residents have raised concerns about a planning application for 12 dog boarding kennels to be based in a property on Sunnycroft Farm.

A petition signed by 200 people has already been submitted to the Vale Council before the change of use application has been considered by the planning department.

Local residents have raised concerns about the kennels being based in a residential area and have accused the applicant behind the planning application, local councillor Vince Driscoll, of using his position in the community to get the plans approved.

Councillor Driscoll, who represents the Twyn ward, has defended the plans and said that local residents had over reacted and opposed the plans before they’d had the chance to look at them.

“Most of the people have signed the petition without seeing the plans,” he said.

“We have held two public meetings for people to come in and view their plans to allay their fears, but very few people turned up.”

He added: “I understand their concerns but I think they have over reacted.

“They are jumping the gun on the noise.

“The kennels are going to be in the basement of the house, three quarters of which is underground under 18 inches of concrete."

He added that claims he had used his position as a councillor to get backing for the proposals were “preposterous” and said: “I’m a conservative councillor in Dinas Powys with 12 Plaid Cymru councillors and it hasn’t even gone through the council yet.”

One concerned Dinas Powys resident, who did not want to be named, contacted the Penarth Times to say: “The property itself is situated in the middle of a housing area and such use would have a great detrimental effect on the surrounding area. The applicant Vince Driscoll is a local councillor and concern has been growing that his standing in the community may have some influence on his application.”

They added that in regards to the planning application they believed that the property was “purely not suitable nor fit for this purpose”.

Another local resident added: “Living nearby I am already very well aware of their large guard dog barking day and night as have a large number of local residents, and am very concerned that this noise nuisance will be massively increased if the application is approved. “My previous knowledge of boarding kennels across the UK is that they are sited well away from residential areas for this very same reason.”