Rockley Valley Park Pty Ltd plans to build an $841,000 breeding facility to supply dogs to a Kellyville pet store, owned and operated by John Grima.

Mr Grima sits on the board of the Pet Industry Association and a statement of environmental effects [SoEE] lodged as part of the development application says it is his mission to “raise the standards of dog breeding in Australia”.

“Moreover the facility at the subject site will be a facility that allows the professional breeding of companion dogs that caters for the physical, psychological and social wellbeing of all dogs on the property,” the SoEE states.

“Once the facility is operating it is the intention of the operator to encourage other related breeders to visit the site and to understand and become inspired to follow the operation and its practices on the site.

“In this regard, it is anticipated that bi-annually up to 12 dog breeders from NSW and occasionally interstate will be invited to the facility to undertake a training seminar where existing and potential dog breeders will be taught best practice dog breeding techniques and the proposed Rockley Valley property will be the model facility.”

The developers say Rockley Valley Park Pty Ltd would work with animal groups to establish an accreditation and recognition scheme to assure buyers they were getting their new pet from a “reliable and ethical” source.

The SoEE says the breeding facility would take up about two hectares of a 100 hectare site at the corner of Rockley Road and Black Mountain Road, about 21 kilometres south of Bathurst.

The 100 hectare site backs on to Black Mountain, home to a number of koala “feed trees”, though the SoEE says it is unlikely any koalas would make their way to the breeding facility.

Dozens of Western Advocate readers took to Facebook on Wednesday to criticise the proposed development.