Dorset Council’s Cabinet has approved the recommendations made to them in a report about a dog-related Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) across the Dorset Council area.
The report was formed following an extensive consultation that gathered views from residents, visitors, businesses and other organisations. The survey originally ran for 12 weeks and this was extended for another three weeks to ensure people who wanted to respond with paper copies were able to.
8,602 responses were received. 83% of responses were from local residents, with 15% from visitors and 2% other organisations. 64% of responses came from dog owners and 36% from non-dog owners. 6.6% of the respondents considered they had a disability.
Among the recommendations which have been approved:
- Harmonisation of the exclusion period on specific beaches. This received significant support with the highest level of support given to 1 May to 30 September (the shortest exclusion period).
- Dogs will need to be on the leads in Public formal gardens, Council owned car parks, within 5m of marked sports pitches and in some specified locations.
The reason for implementing a dog related PSPO on specific beaches and open spaces is to keep them free from dog fouling and safe to use by residents and visitors.
Insisting that dogs are on leads in particular areas means that the owner has adequate control over the dog which means that they can see if the dog fouls and doesn’t cause issues with other people or dogs.
Cllr Jill Haynes, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Customer and Community Services said:
“This has been an extensive consultation with a good cross section of people.
“I am very pleased that we have been able to implement the order according to the thoughts of most respondents.
“The harmonised exclusions on selected beaches across the council’s area is a sensible compromise for dog owners and those who don’t have dogs.”
The report was initially reviewed by the Place and Resources Overview Committee on 21 September and their recommendations where approved by Cabinet today. It will be reviewed within three years.
To view the report, visit here.
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