A CONTROVERSIAL plan to train guard dogs in a Hampshire village has been thrown out for the third time.

Test Valley councillors unanimously ruled the proposal for land in Nursling was wrong for a rural location despite planning officers recommending it should be approved.

Now the boss of the firm which put in the planning application has vowed to appeal against the decision.

Cobra Security chief Sean Knowlson, pictured right, said he was disappointed but not surprised.

He said: “They are saying I shouldn’t be doing the training in an urban area and they are saying I shouldn’t be doing it in the countryside, so where should I be training the dogs? I just cannot believe all the excuses and nonsense they’ve come up with for not given planning permission. The councillors’ arguments don’t hold water and they have defied the recommendations of professional planning officers.”

Mr Knowlson, who currently trains his dogs on rented land at Testwood Fisheries in Totton, claims that site is not big enough and wants to relocate the business to land he owns at the Paddocks, off Upton Lane.

However, some councillors were worried the proposed 6ft deer-proof fence around the site would not be enough to keep the six security dogs in if they were distracted and they could escape on to the M27 motorway.

But the biggest bone of contention was whether the scheme was suitable for a rural area.

Cllr Martin Hatley said he was worried about the noise of barking dogs.

He said: “I would be concerned if I lived at Grove Place. Noise doesn’t have to be loud to be a nuisance.”

Cllr Phil Bundy, who represents Nursling and Rownhams, said the application was “clearly about a commercial business” in the countryside.

“All of this is more in keeping with an urban site,” he added.

Nursling and Rownhams Parish Council’s Mike Maltby said the officers’ recommendation that the plan was approval was based “entirely upon the premise” that the facility had to be in the countryside but didn’t justify why.

He added: “Security dog training is not a country pursuit. It’s an urban industry and is not appropriate for this area. Working dogs in the countryside are for sheep, shooting and hunting.”