A plan to create a private dog walking field across an area of good quality farmland which is surrounded by hundreds of free footpaths has been approved, despite residents branding the scheme “ludicrous”.

Hambleton District Council’s planning committee agreed to South Acres Ltd’s proposal to launch a secure dog exercise area enclosed by a 1.8m-high fence for “dog owners wishing to visit somewhere in the countryside” to the south of South Kilvington, near Thirsk.

Speaking on behalf of South Kilvington residents, Nicky Dowell told the meeting vehicles visiting the site would have to pass an extremely busy footpath on the side of the A61, which was used by many residents including at least 30 pupils to get to the village primary school.

She said: “It is a possible danger to life. It’s an accident waiting to happen. I thought we were meant to be encouraging walking to school, not putting obstacles in the way to deter them.

“There are a number of free dog walking areas literally a stone’s throw away. You don’t need to pay to go and walk your dogs. There’s hundreds of public footpaths round about. The idea of opening it 6am to 9pm with barking dogs, noise, whistles, people shouting is absolutely ludicrous.”

However, applicant Matt Bell responded saying there was strong demand for dog walking facilities in the Thirsk area, and claimed Hambleton council had recognised this by including paths on which dogs could be walked as part of its Sowerby sports village plans.

He said many people have pets that are anxious or are unable to be off-lead and struggle to find safe spaces to walk, before giving the example of an elderly Thirsk resident with a guide dog who travelled to a secure field near Richmond.

Mr Bell added a planning officers’ move to limit the impact on neighbours by restricting the field’s opening hours to 7am to 7pm would make the site inaccessible to those who start work early or finish late.

The meeting heard the site was a “very very large field” including a mixture of land classed as being of a very good or good quality.

Ward councillor Andrew Robinson said the proposal amounted to establishing a new commercial business on much-needed farmland in open countryside, contrary to the authority’s policy, saying the fenced field would introduce “an intrusive industrial appearance” to the rural area.

However, other councillors dismissed suggestions that the fencing would look industrial and remarked on the good management of the applicants’ other dog walking sites near Darlington.

Ahead of granting the proposal and allowing the site to open from 6am to 9pm, councillors also highlighted that North Yorkshire County Council’s highways officers had disagreed with residents’ concerns over cars regularly crossing a busy path to access the site.