Brendan McHugh’s fight to open a dog and cat boarding kennel on Marys Lane started in February, 2014 when he lodged a development application (DA) with Bathurst Regional Council.

Despite recommendations from council’s senior planning staff that the DA be approved subject to a raft of conditions, it was twice rejected by councillors.

Council cited four issues with the proposed pet kennel: road safety; that it was not in the public interest; noise concerns; and environmental concerns.

Following the knock-backs Mr McHugh took council to the Land and Environment Court, where he won the battle to build the kennel in July, 2015.

Since then, the sprawling kennel on an acreage in Dunkeld has been under construction.

Mr McHugh said his 24 state-of-the-art dog runs have thermal and acoustic insulation, under-floor heating and air conditioning.

“The neighbours were worried about the noise [from the air conditioner], the council was worried about the air conditioner, [but] it’s actually quieter than a shower,” Mr McHugh said.

There are also two outdoor, grassed dog runs for canine play time.

“I’m aiming for this to be the best facility in NSW,” Mr McHugh said.

“The competitors don’t have anything like this so it allows me to win business.”

While the dog kennel officially opened for business on Thursday, the cattery will open soon.

The entire facility has CCTV cameras and security lighting.

“There’s also double gates at every entry and exit,” Mr McHugh said of the safety measure for client’s pets.

Estimates for how much it cost council to fight the kennel range up to $200,000.

Mr McHugh called the the long battle to bring his pet boarding kennel to fruition an “unnecessary delay”, but admits he is very excited to be finally opening his business.

“I think it’ll all be worth it, looking at the medium to long term,” he said.

Despite the council knock-backs and complaints from neighbours about the development, Mr McHugh said he is looking towards the future and starting from a “clean slate”.