by Sam Hawcroft
A new secure dog walking field has opened in Hollym after a family’s long-running bid to turn a simple idea into reality.
Jane Jackson, together with husband Shaun and daughter Taurie, welcomed visitors to the new field off Withernsea Road on Sunday, May 31, as South East Holderness ward councillor Jon Dimberline cut the ribbon and backed the venture to become a popular facility for dog owners across the area.
The two-acre site has been transformed from a paddock into a secure, bookable space where dogs can run freely away from roads and other hazards.
Bookings are due to open from June 5, with owners able to reserve and pay for a slot online before using the field exclusively.
Taurie said the aim was to make the field more stimulating than some of the secure dog walking sites the family had visited elsewhere.
She said: “We’ll have loads of different things. We’re trying to make it really interactive, because the ones I’ve been to have been quite standard.”
The field includes secure fencing, open space and play equipment for dogs, including tyres and other agility-style features. Hessle-based Poppy’s Pantry also has an honesty shed packed with natural raw-food dog treats.
The opening marks the end of a planning process that began with the family’s own experience of having to travel out of the area to find a safe place for their dogs to exercise.
The original application, submitted in March 2024, received no objections from Hollym Parish Council or nearby residents, but East Riding Council later refused the plans after concerns were raised over the proposed access, the lowering of the hedgerow and the impact on the area’s character and appearance.
Jane appealed against the decision with the support of RBA Town Planning and Cllr Dimberline, who had backed the idea from the outset.
Speaking at the opening, Cllr Dimberline said: “The outcome has been good, and it has been sensible. There isn’t one of these facilities anywhere in this area and they are becoming more and more popular.
“It just seemed crazy to me that the planning issue was about spoiling the verdant approach of the green fields because there was going to be a hedge cut down. I just did my best to support them, put a few letters in and advised about the appeal.”
Cllr Dimberline said he was delighted to see the field finished and ready to welcome dogs and their owners.
He added: “It looks fantastic. I think it’s going to work out really well. If you look at how they’ve done it, it’s incredibly professionally done – the gates, the fencing, the layout and the car park.
“It just couldn’t have been done any better.”
For the family, who have lived in the village for many years, the field also keeps the land open and in rural use.
Shaun said the site offered a practical way of looking after the land for the future, while still preserving its open character.
He said: “This says to people that it’s not going to be built on. It’s just going to stay open.
“You’ve got to build for the future, and the future is trying to keep people rural as well. A lot of our neighbours enjoy open land and the countryside. They don’t want to see housing estates.”
He added: “I think people will travel. They’ll see this, book half an hour or an hour here, go into town and make it part of a day out. It’s good for the area and for the dogs.”