Mother and daughter continue the fight to save Moira dog park

The pair have been battling with the Planning Service for four years since the park, which is based between Moira and Lurgan, opened in 2021.

It has become a firm favourite with customers, of both the two legged and four legged variety, and has the support of the local community, with 3,000 people signing a petition calling for it to remain open.

However, two neighbours have objected to the planning application, which was initially rejected by planners.

Elaine and Clare then appealed the decision to the PAC and were shocked when it was again refused permission.

However, there was a small win as it was agreed the council had assessed the application with the wrong policy and going forward all dog park applications would be assessed using the outdoor recreation policy.

Unleashed is now fundraising to continue the fight to keep the business open and have plans to address any issues raised.

They have set up a Go Fund Me page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-unleashed-dog-adventure-park and they are hoping dog lovers far and wide will help them to raise the money needed to keep the park open.

"The council said it didn’t need to be in the countryside but this is the perfect place for it,” explained Clare.

"Environmental Health came out and had no objections but the planners went against them.”

Concerns had been raised about traffic and noise levels and steps have been taken to mitigate any impact, however with a strict limit on visitor numbers to the site this has not yet proved to be an issue.

"We have just had a noise impact assessment carried out and he said it was only one decibel higher than it would be without the dog park,” explained Eileen.

"In four years we’ve had zero complaints about noise levels and there have been no complaints from environmental health.

"Roads Service have had no issues with the traffic levels. However, we are working to install two laybys to assist with any issues that may arise.”

They have adjusted their opening hours to 10am–7pm and there is a maximum of four cars allowed per booking.

The park is booked for 50 minutes, with a 10 minute break between bookings.

With plans for laybys, a noise impact assessment, and the resubmission of the planning application, the fight has been a costly one, however Eileen and Clare are determined to win their case and secure the future of the family business.

"It has grown so much over the years and we have a lot of regular visitors every week,” Eileen continued.

"It is a real family business and we have built a lovely community of dog lovers.”

The mother and daughter team have even inspired Eileen’s other daughter Sarah, who has set up her own business ‘Apparel by Unleased’, selling customisable dog collars and leads, as well as settle mats, adventure harnesses, and even human apparel.

"It has been lifechanging for so many people and dogs,” Eileen added. “We have so much appreciation for our customers who have supported us over the years.”