Ystrad Mynach greyhound race expansion devastates campaigners

Campaigners against greyhound racing have said they are "devastated" after Wales' only race track was given permission to expand.

Valley Greyhound Stadium in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly county, can now extend its clubhouse for more hospitality and veterinary facilities.

Cut the Chase Coalition said it would mean increased racing and more dogs put in danger.

Valley Greyhound declined to comment.

Welsh ministers announced plans in February to hold a public consultation on banning greyhound racing.

It followed a petition signed by 35,000 people and a Senedd committee calling for a "gradual" end to the sport in the country.

A petition in support of the sport has also generated over 10,000 signatures.

Caerphilly council said planning permission has been granted to change the "athletic football club to greyhound boarding kennels".

It also gave the green light for Valley Greyhound to extend the existing clubhouse and grandstand building "to provide office, hospitality, amenity and veterinary facilities".

A spokesperson for the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), the regulator for British greyhound racing, said: "We are pleased that Valley Greyhound Stadium is seeking to become regulated under our remit.

"Greater regulation will only improve welfare at the stadium, whilst allowing it to continue as a place of employment and community for the local area."

The council said the new applications "addressed outstanding concerns relating to highway and flooding controls".

But Cut the Chase, a coalition against greyhound racing that includes the Dogs Trust, the RSPCA, Blue Cross, Hope Rescue and Greyhound Rescue Wales, said it meant "significantly increase racing, putting even more dogs in danger".

It said GBGB data indicated 244 dogs died or had to be put down as a result of racing in the UK in 2022.

"We're devastated at this decision to grant planning permission when all the evidence shows greyhound racing is dangerous for the dogs involved," the coalition said.

"Once again, greyhounds have been let down in the name of entertainment."

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds said it would mean "more dogs suffering, more dogs being injured and more dogs needing rescue spaces... all for the sake of sport and betting".

Caerphilly council said it was aware of objections on welfare and "the general moral and ethical debates of the sport".

But, it added: "These concerns are not material planning considerations and could not be taken into account when assessing the merits of the applications."

The council said another application "for the erection of kennels is yet to be determined, pending the consideration of flooding issues".

The GBGB said: "All our licensed tracks must adhere to over 200 rules of racing which insist upon the very highest standards of greyhound welfare and integrity.

"These cover all aspects of how the sport is run and regulated including how greyhounds are cared for during their visits to a racecourse, at home at their trainer's residential kennels, when being transported and into their retirement."