Plans to extend an existing dog exercise park have been approved subject to conditions this month.

James Carswell, the director of Off the Lead Dog Park, just outside Barrhead, put forward the application for a change of use of land to the south of their existing site, in June.

The existing park, which is just off Balgraystone Road next to the Dams to Darnley car park, was established in 2020.

The application site comprises 1.99 hectares of green belt land, currently in agricultural use.

It is bound by a core path on both the eastern and western sides, as well as Balgraystone Road and Balgray Reservoir.

A small area of the site also lies within the Dams to Darnley Country Park to the east.

The application is coupled with an application for a similarly-sized plot of land to the south, which was approved subject to conditions in October.

This will also form part of the extension to the existing dog park and the development of this northern section will include the erection of a 1.9 metre-high fence around the boundary of the site.

It will also include the formation of vehicular access with two parking bays.

In their assessment of the most recent application approved this month, planners said: “It does not involve a significant amount of development and it is therefore not considered that it would adversely affect the character of the rural area or compromise the function of the greenbelt.

“Furthermore, it is not considered that it would compromise the function of the green belt or green network.”

Three conditions were attached to East Renfrewshire Council’s decision to grant approval.

One of these relates to the implementation of a waste management plan to “ensure the effective storage and disposal of waste to safeguard the amenity of the area.”