Planning for Domestic Pets

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85PLANNING FOR DOMESTIC PETS


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Planning for Domestic Pets

PAN 85

April 2009 Crown Copyright 2009ISSN 0141-514XISBN 978 0 7559 7018 9


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CONTENTS

Paragraph

Introduction 1

Planning and Dogs 5

Planning and Cats 9

Planning and Rabbits 13

SPP 11 Minimum Standards for Open Space 14


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INTRODUCTION

1. This Planning Advice Note is concerned with the provision of open space for the exercise ofdomestic animals, or pets, and associated waste disposal facilities. The keeping of pets isa tradition associated with human activity that dates back to pre-history, possibly with thedomestication of wolves by hunter-gathering peoples. As human activity moved away from

hunting, gathering and subsistence farming, the domestication of animals continued, forboth recreational and for agricultural purposes. This practice has continued to the presentday and many households possess pets or animal companions.

2. The main types of domestic animal kept as pets are dogs and cats, although other animalssuch as rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters can be found in many homes, along with cagedbirds and aquarium fish. Some homes contain exotic animals, but the focus of this PAN ison those animals with potential open space requirements, namely dogs and cats.

3. Official estimate put the UK dog population at 6.7 million in 2000, and around 9 million cats.There are approximately 24million households in the UK, of which 2.4million householdsare in Scotland. The ratio of pets to households can therefore be estimated.

4. For planning purposes, it should be assumed there are 2 dogs per 7 households or 0.28dogs per household. There will be 3 cats per 8 households, or 0.375 cats per household.The other main type of recurring animal with outdoor space requirements is the rabbit, andthese are often kept in hutches outdoors. Rabbits typically require little open spaceexercise, so this note will focus on the main animal types of the domestic cat and dog.

PLANNING AND DOGS

5. The key issue for dogs is waste disposal. The average-sized dog will generate 0.34kilograms of fecal matter per day, and the average-sized cat will generate 0.1 kilograms offecal matter per day. Cats are fastidious about disposing of their own waste and this doesnot typically require any routine management on the part of the pet owner other than

occasional garden cleaning. However, dog waste requires routine management, typicallythrough the pick-up of waste by a scooper or plastic bag.

6. Disposal facilities should be provided by local authorities. The typical small development of250 households will contain 70 dogs. If these are exercised daily, and evacuate theirbowels, then this will generate 24 kilograms of dog waste per day. Owners will either takethis waste home with them and dispose of it with domestic waste, or seek to place in awaste disposal bin. The typical waste disposal bin will hold 50 litres of waste,approximately 50 kilograms. It is considered adequate to provide 2 such bins per 250dwellings, ideally placed at the locus of exercise areas, assuming they are emptied everyweek by the local authority. The typical cost of such a bin is 60 for the bin itself and 200installation costs. These can be reclaimed from developers under an appropriate planningcondition or section 75 agreement.

7. Dog exercise areas can be simple grassed areas. These should be deconflicted from childplay areas, to minimise the risk to children from dog faeces, which can carry parasitic eggsand worms hazardous to health. A dog play area should be approximately 7 hectares for asmall development, or 0.1 hectare per dog.

8. Further reference should be made to SPP 11 Physical Activity and Open Space for theprovision of other open space facilities, and the guidance in this note should be consideredadditional to the requirements of SPP 11.


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PLANNING AND CATS

9. Although cats require no such waste facilities, they can cause nuisance through nocturnalprowling, fighting and territorial spraying. This nuisance can be mitigated throughappropriate design measures. Such measures include:

Tree planting for cat scratching and climbing Selection of appropriate planting, ie catnip (latin name) at key loci Cat-friendly fencing that can be climbed and walked upon, to increase territorial

range and minimise inter-territorial disputes Cat flaps designed into housing to prevent noise disturbance from cats wishing entry

to the family home

10. In addition to measures to mitigate cat activity, there is the requirement to minimise the riskof cat road traffic accidents. Traffic calming measures should be considered by the RoadsAuthority to minimise the risk of cat-car collisions (CCCs).

11. CCCs occur primarily when cat desire routes for travel intersect with roads. Thesecollisions typically end with the death or severe injury of the cat and little damage to the car.The use of species mitigation meures for other major developments badger tunnels ontrunk roads is well established, and cat crossings have been found to reduce CCCswhen designed into new developments. The range of a domestic cat is typically 0.2hectares, and this can be mapped for proposed developments, assuming a standarddistribution of cat ownership, and overlaid over the road layout of a proposed developmentto indicate the likely desire routes for cats. Although not in widespread use, spreadsheetcat models have been developed to provide a more precise indication of likely desireroutes, based on attractors and layout.

12. Cat species mitigation measures include raised crossings and narrowed roads at keypoints. Car user awareness can be increased through signage and road design, bypainting cat symbols onto the asphalt at cat crossing points.

PLANNING AND RABBITS

13. Rabbits are relatively low-maintenance pets and typically kept in outdoor hutches. Theminimum length of such a structure is 1.5m. A family home should have adequate openspace provision to maintain such a structure, along with other items of garden furnitureincluding waste bins.

SPP 11 MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR OPEN SPACE FOR

14. This guidance is in addition to the requirements of SPP 11, currently for:

Housing or mixed use developments of 10 or more units or greater than 0.5ha

60m2 total open space per household to include:

40m2 of open space divided between parks, sports areas, allotments, greencorridors, semi-natural space and civic space, as set out in the development plan;

20m2 of informal play / recreation space and equipped play areas.

Note that this is additional to any garden space provided as part of the development.


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Documents

Planning for Domestic Pets