Council insists it is not banning dogs from Selston Country Park under PSPO extension plans

The authority has again sought to reassure local dog owners after one said he was concerned the council was trying to ‘introduce a dog ban through the back door’ after officials claimed ambiguous wording on the proposal on council’s website had been removed when it hadn’t.

But the council said this was just down to ‘human error’

Scott Walker, from Selston, contacted your Chad to raise the issue, expressing concerns with the deadline for consultation coming up on Monday.

Dogs are already banned from a number of children’s play areas and sports areas – such as tennis courts and bowling greens – at other parks across the district as part of the council’s district-wide Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) already in place under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

And the council now proposes to add the areas of other parks across the district to the PSPO, including Selston.

But the wording relating to Selston caused concern among local dog owners as it said the council was proposing that dogs were excluded from ‘childrens play areas and green space areas’.

This led many dog owners to fear dogs were to be banned from all green spaces in the park.

Speaking earlier this month, the council said this was not the case and this ‘has now been reflected on the website’.

But Mr Walker said the wording had not changed – leading to him fearing the council was intending to ban dogs from the park after all.

Mr Walker said: “I asked for clarification on the wording ‘and green space areas’ and they said the focus on the PSPO is to exclude dogs from higher risk areas, such as play areas on parks and that ‘there is no intention to exclude dogs in general areas on the park’.

"I asked why the words ‘green space areas’ had not been removed from the proposal and requested clarification or definition of the term ‘higher risk areas’ as this does not appear in the PSPO and, as far as I can tell, has no legal basis.

“I also asked why Selston was the only park to have this undefined term ‘green space areas’ attached to it.

"All other parks in the PSPO have very defined areas specified with appropriate markings on the maps of such areas.

“The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 gives the council powers to introduce PSPOs provided certain criteria are met, one of which is that, as a minimum, each PSPO must set out ‘the area covered by the restrictions’.

"Clearly, this proposal fails that test as it is specifying an undefined area.

“The consultation for this PSPO proposal ends on May 27 and the only recourse to challenge it once it comes into force is through the High Court.

"With the mixed messages coming from various sections of the council it is important that this issue is clarified before the closure of the consultation period.”

A council spokesperson said: “This (the wording not being removed) is just human error.

"The website was meant to be updated but it was missed, it will now be rectified.

"Again, we are not banning dogs from the green spaces on Selston Country Park.”