Eden Animal Rescue has submitted a planning application to Eden District Council to build a new kennel block at its base at Moorlands Head Farm, near Temple Sowerby.
The plans to replace the existing kennel facility have been developed over the last two years by trustees and staff.
Chris Cheetham, chairman of trustees, said it was not about increasing capacity but improving facilities for animals.
He said: “The plans have been developed initially in-house, and then with the assistance of our chosen specialist contractor, Kennelbuild Ltd.
“In terms of animal care, it provides us with a facility to isolate dogs coming into the kennels before they have a health check by our vets which we do not currently have and the existing kennels cannot provide.
“This has meant that in the past when we have had a contagious disease brought in by a new dog, our only option has been to close our kennels to new animals.
“Consequently we are unable to rehome dogs until the outbreak has been resolved.
Mr Cheetham said: “The other major step is that the new kennels will bring us up to the standards of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes.
“Our existing facilities do not meet those standards and with Government committed to imposing national standards on animal re-homing sites, we want to be ready for that change when it comes.”
He said the existing building did not provide a good environment for the care of dogs.
“We have one large space with 20 pens, which has very little daylight and internally is a noisy environment. We know that some dogs find it hard to settle in and it is unsatisfactory for our staff and volunteers to work in.
He added: “The new facility will address those issues and greatly enhance the welfare of the animals in our care. The existing kennel building will be re-purposed to provide a range of different uses, which are either non-existent or inadequate in our current buildings.
“Clearly our plans will be expensive, but we do have some significant resources to put into the project, and we will be running a major fundraising drive to cover the rest of the costs.”
It is also the first part of a longer programme of works to improve facilities further, he said.
