Dogs on beaches in Cornwall consultation to be launched

Cornwall’s Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) are set to expire in April 2020 and the council is required to carry out consultation before they are reviewed.

There are 48 beach and coastal areas covered by PSPOs which place seasonal restrictions on dogs being allowed on beaches.

Legislation states that these have to be reviewed every three years and councils are required to consult with stakeholders – such as parish and town councils and private beach owners – as well as the public.

The current PSPOs came into effect in April 2017 after consultation in 2016 which saw the council receive one of the biggest ever responses to a survey with more than 5,000 people taking part.

A report on the consultation plans for the new review is set to go before the council’s neighbourhoods overview and scrutiny committee next week.

It states that feedback received by the council over the past two years that the PSPOs have been in place and about the administration and enforcement of them “indicates that any amendments to existing PSPOs need careful consideration”.

Since April 2017 the council has received 288 complaints and enquiries about the existing PSPOs for dogs on beaches.

Of those 208 were complaints about dogs on beaches and enforcement; 49 were general enquiries about the restrictions; five were requests for increased restrictions; 10 were requests for less restrictions, one was for better signage and 15 were for other reasons.

The report states: “The highest number of complaints and requests for enforcement patrols relate to those beaches with 24-hour dog restrictions from from April 1 to September 30, such as the beaches in Falmouth, Porthtowan and Polzeath. Many of these complaints are made early morning and in the evening, when the enforcement resource is limited or non-existent.

“Across the county 51 fixed penalty notices were issued for dogs on beaches offences and a large proportion of fixed penalty notices served were issued by Newquay Town Council who employ their own enforcement officer who was authorised and trained by Cornwall Council.”

The report suggests that the council could look at introducing simplification or harmonisation of the PSPOs such as having a common start date for restrictions – for example May 1 – as there is currently only a common end date of September 30.

Council officers also suggest having common times for the restrictions such as 10am to 5pm saying it would help with “consistency and clarity of restrictions across the county and enforceability”.

However they also state that there could be a case for more localised control of the orders with parish and town councils having more say about what is best for their areas.

Under the plans town and parish councils could be consulted on the PSPOs in April and May and the feedback would be put into the council’s public consultation approach. The public consultation would be held over August and September.

Cornwall Council’s neighbourhoods overview and scrutiny committee is due to discuss the report when it meets on Tuesday (March 5).