Plans to turn a farmer's field into a dedicated dog walking area have been rejected by the district council with the scheme labelled unsustainable.

The proposal for Squab Hall Farm on Harbury Lane would have seen a 2.4 metre high fence built around the boundary of the 1.1 hectare site, with bookings taken online before customers came to walk their pets.

The application said the Bishop's Tachbrook farm has "undergone significant diversification" over the past 25 years with the dog walking field planned to be its latest offering.

But a Warwick District Council report said the fence would be "harmful to the character and appearance of the rural area".

It added: "The proposed development is situated in a rural location and is not located within or adjacent to any village or urban area boundary. 

"The site is therefore considered to be in an unsustainable location. 

"Furthermore, the development is not within a reasonable walking distance of public transport links, local facilities or amenities and would therefore create a car dominant form of development."

Bishop's Tachbrook Parish Council had also objected to the application saying it did not want to encourage people to drive in order to exercise their pets and said there was no need for the facility. 

"We have plenty of footpaths within the parish and there are plans for them to increase; walks to Oakley Wood, Chesterton Windmill and around the Country Park," the objection said. 

"There is also the Warwick Gates perimeter path nearby."