AN ANIMAL rescue centre has submitted ambitious plans to overhaul its current site.

Animal Rescue Cumbria, in Grayrigg, has put forward proposals to replace its animal welfare centre with overnight staff accommodation, create a new dog exercise barn, extend its kennel block and create new improved access and car park.

Animal Rescue Cumbria is a charity that has been rescuing and re-homing cats and dogs since 1972.

The charity currently rescues and re-homes over 300 dogs, cats and kittens each year.

Plans would see most of the existing animal welfare buildings taken down and replaced with a new animal welfare shelter.

The decision to redevelop the site was partly triggered due to concerns over stability of a steep slope which was caused by a landslip in 2017.

According to planning documents Cumbria County Council Highways resolved the 2017 landslip by diverting the riverbed below but that a recent survey carried out in December 2020 suggested that “although there has been no further land slippage, nor any movement within the buildings, the increasing frequency and intensity of severe weather events across the country (as a result of climate change), gives cause for concern for the longevity of some of the buildings in their current location”.

Plans therefore focus the new buildings towards the south west of the site to be as far away from the steep slope as possible.

The redevelopment is anticipated to result in an additional full-time employee and an increase in volunteer numbers from 56 to 80.

The application’s design and access statement said: “The existing buildings on the site have been developed ad hoc since 1984 and, due to uncertainties around the slope, these buildings have suffered from a lack of investment in recent years.

“They are therefore no longer fit-for-purpose and do not meet the latest animal welfare standards and guidelines.

“The charity therefore wants to take this opportunity to build a purpose-built centre which surpasses these standards and ultimately improves the facilities for the animals and staff.

“As part of the redevelopment, the redundant buildings will be demolished, and the resulting space will be landscaped.

“It is proposed to include two compact buildings on the site.

“The main building will house the kennels and cattery and provide space for staff operations and meetings.

“By combining the multiple small buildings on the site into one larger building, the proposals aim to reduce spread across the site and keep operational and maintenance costs at a minimum for the charity, whilst also reducing their environmental impact.”

The charity’s plans focus strongly on sustainability with high levels of insulation, and the inclusion of “renewable technologies such as air/ground source heat pumps, heat recovery units and solar photovoltaic (PV) panels”.

The proposals also plan to return any areas that were previously built on “back to nature”.