Dog Control and Dog Fouling Proposed Public Spaces Protection Notice (PSPO)

Dog Control and Dog Fouling Proposed Public Spaces Protection Notice (PSPO)

Why are we doing this?: 

Wrexham Council currently has 3 dog control orders which cover the entire County Borough or specific areas:-

  • The Fouling of Land by Dogs (WCBC) Order 2009
  • A Dogs Exclusion (WCBC) Order 2009
  • A Dogs on Lead by Direction (WCBC) Order 2009

An informal Public Spaces Protection Order consultation was held from March 21st  until June 26th, 2016. The survey was available to be completed online and paper copies were also distributed at the Park Visitor Centres and park staff interviewed visitors to gain their views using the standard survey form. Community Councils were also supplied with posters to put up on their noticeboards to encourage the local community to participate in the survey. A total of 871 responses were obtained from the on line and paper surveys.

The intention will be to replace the current orders, with a  new Public Spaces Protection Order covering the County Borough. The existing dog fouling requirements for owners to remove their dog’s faeces in public areas, the exclusion zones for dogs on bowling greens, marked sports pitches and  play areas (apart from owners with assisted dogs) and a dogs on lead by direction order to all applicable land, allowing an Authorised Officer to instruct owners to place and keep a dog on a lead when necessary, would also continue. The results of the informal public consultation indicate that there is support for this approach. 

The more controversial section of the Public Spaces Protection Order, covers dog control in the parks and dogs on leads along a public road and pavement. Consultation on this section of the proposed order, indicated strong support for some control of dogs in designated areas in the parks, such as around visitor centres and car parks (such as Ty Mawr Country Park and Alyn Waters Country Park), but not for dogs on lead in the parks generally. There was strong support for dogs on leads on a public road and pavement.

What do we want to know?: 

We are therefore contacting you as part of the required consultation process, we encourage you to look at the prohibitions suggested in the enclosed order and would be interested in your views on the matter.

The consultation period will be open on the 10th October 2016 and will close on the 11th November 2016, therefore please ensure any representations are made by this date.

If you would like to provide the feedback to the proposed Order in writing, stating the reasons for your views or objections, email for the attention of: martin.howarth@wrexham.gov.uk or by post to The Head of Environment and Planning Department, Wrexham County Borough Council, Abbey rd, Wrexham industrial Estate, Wrexham, LL13 9PW.

Alternatively, If you have any comments regarding the proposed Dog Control and Dog Fouling PSPO then please click here.

What we found out: 

The feedback was very useful in determining the policy that members adopted on the new dog control and dog fouling Public Spaces Protection Order.

The results of informal public consultation were as follows. There were 871 responses. Around 69% were completed by dog owners and the majority lived in Wrexham. When asked to rank the enforcement proposals, the greatest support was given to controlling dog fouling, followed by excluding dogs from sports pitches, children’s play areas and bowling greens. The third greatest support was for enforcing dogs on leads on public roads and pavements. There was very strong support (86%) for continuing with the areas covered by the present Dog Control Orders covering dog fouling, exclusion areas and placing dogs on leads when requested by an Authorised Officer. There was very strong support for dogs being required to be kept on a lead along a public road and pavement (89%). The majority of respondents felt that dogs should not be required to be kept on leads in open spaces and parks all times (68%). However, there was strong support for dogs to be kept on a lead around defined areas of parks, such as visitor centres and car parks (76%).   

What difference has it made?: 

It was clear from the feedback that there was strong support for dogs on leads on pavements adjacent to roads, some form of dog control around the visitor centres in the parks, but not in the parks in general.  The feedback fed into the Public Spaces Protection Order report in which members considered the public consultation results. This was instrumental in helping shape the final PSPO. It is now adopted ready for the 1st of March 2017 implementation date.

Consultation start date 10 October 2016
Consultation end date 11 November 2016