Dog Control Public Space Protection Order consultation

Following this consultation the proposed dog control zones on the beach were amended. The amended proposals were agreed by Cabinet on Monday 6 March and are currently being implemented.

Why are we consulting?

Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) are used to ensure public spaces can be enjoyed free from anti-social behaviour. They are not about stopping the responsible use of public spaces, but they do provide councils with a tool to tackle on-going issues that are damaging their communities.
We know most dog owners act responsibly, keeping their dogs under control and clearing up their dog's waste. However, the council continues to receive complaints about dog-related behaviour and irresponsible dog owners.

We introduced a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) covering dog fouling, exclusion and dog control in 2017, running for three years. Unfortunately, it lapsed in June 2020 because of the different work the council needed to do during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are now consulting to introduce a new one.

A Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) is a way of controlling certain anti-social behaviours in public areas. Our proposed Dog Control PSPO is aimed specifically at the behaviour of dogs and their owners.

The PSPO will have different rules for different areas as explained under the following headings.

Proposed dog controls for the PSPO

Dog Fouling

An order which makes it an offence if dog owners do not remove their dog's poo from land within the Borough of Hastings that is open to the air and accessible to the public.

Dog Exclusion Areas

It is proposed that dogs will not be allowed on or off a lead at any time in the following areas:

• Hastings Castle
• Hastings Cemetery
• All children's play areas, multi-use games areas, skate parks, tennis courts, bowls greens
• All water in Alexandra Park and St Leonards Gardens.

This means it will be an offence for a person to take a dog into these areas at any time.

Dogs on Lead

A person in charge of a dog must keep them on a lead at all times in the following areas:

• all roads and footpaths within the Borough of Hastings
• the whole promenade area of the seafront
• Stade Open Space
• the grassed area east of Marine Court.

This means it will be an offence if a person does not keep the dog on a lead in these areas at all times.

Parks and Gardens

The dog on lead rules and dog exclusion rules proposed are:

For parks and gardens with a children's playground or open play areas:

• Dogs must be on lead between 9am and 5pm everyday.

This would only affect the following areas:

• Alexandra Park - only the section of the park between Bethune Way and Dordrecht Way
• West Hill (North Side)
• Grosvenor open space
• Gensing Gardens
• Wishing Tree Road North
• Linton Gardens
• Bembrook open space
• White Rock gardens skate park
• Wishing tree Road North
• Gensing Gardens.

This means it will be an offence for a person to take a dog into these areas if it is not on a lead during the stated times.

This means that there would be no dog on lead controls in the section of Alexandra Park from Dordrecht Way up to Vale Road.

If the park and garden area have no playground or open play areas, dog on lead controls will be seasonal:

• 1 April to 31 October from 9am to 5pm
• 1 November to 31 March 10am to 4pm at weekends only.

This would only affect the following areas:

• St Leonards Gardens
• Warrior Square Gardens.

This means it will be an offence for a person to take a dog into these areas if it is not on a lead during the stated times.

All fixed equipped playgrounds, Multi Use Games Areas and outdoor sports facilities within parks and gardens would be a Dog Exclusion area at all times.

Beaches and seafront areas

Proposed dog controls will be seasonal and will vary along the seafront and beach areas. For more detail see the maps for each area:

• West St Leonards map (.pdf)
• Central St Leonards map (.pdf)
• Central Hastings map (.pdf)

You can also view these maps in the windows of the council's offices at Muriel Matters House on the seafront.

Along the seafront promenade there will be a dog on lead rule at all times.

Dogs on Lead by Direction

A person in charge of a dog must put and keep that dog on a lead when asked to do so by a council officer (if needed), to prevent nuisance behaviour by the dog. This order will cover the whole of the Borough of Hastings and it will be an offence not to comply with the instruction.

Maximum number of dogs

The maximum number of dogs that can be taken on to land (open to the air) anywhere in the borough is six. So it will be an offence if a person takes more than six dogs to any land that is open to the air to which the public have access to and will apply to the whole Borough of Hastings.

Penalty

If any of the rules are broken a Fixed Penalty Notice may be issued and failure to pay may lead to prosecution.

How can I comment?

This consultation is now closed.

If you would like to comment on these proposals, please visit the council's CitizenLab page. If this is the first time you have used the site, you will need to register for an account. This will allow you to comment on any of the council's other consultations on the site. Please make sure you have your say by 16 October 2022.

If you are unable to provide your comments online you can send your comments to us in the post by 16 October to:

Wardens
Hastings Borough Council
Muriel Matters House
Breeds Place
Hastings
East Sussex
TN34 3UY

Consultation timeline

This consultation has now closed.

What happens next?

All comments received will be summarised and be part of a report to a meeting of the council's Cabinet to decide what dog controls will be in place as part of the public space protection order. Members of the public can attend or watch online the council's Cabinet meetings through the website.