Council officials are being asked to look at bringing back a dog-free area to a popular park.
The request followed a petition brought by Simon Andrews and signed by almost 1,500 people calling for an area to be fenced off in Blaker’s Park.
The park was covered by a public space protection order (PSPO) but this was not renewed by Brighton and Hove City Council.
At a full council meeting at Hove Town Hall yesterday (Thursday 10 July), councillors were told that people had campaigned for the fenced-off area in the 1970s because of concerns about the increasing amount of dog fouling.
Mr Andrews said: “The council erected the fence and put up clear ‘no dogs allowed’ signs. We have photographs of these signs over time. These signs were removed in 2023 and we discovered there was not a current PSPO.
“In addition, an information film about the park in 2011, a fenced dog-free area is promoted as a positive feature of the park.
“For over 40 years this fenced area has since served as a safe and peaceful haven where school groups, nursery children and families have gathered for picnics, games and community events.”
Mr Andrews said that the park was a green space open to all users but there was growing community tension over dogs using the fenced-off space. He called on councillors to reinstate restrictions.
Labour councillor Theresa Fowler, who represents Hollingdean and Fiveways, said that she believed a “genuine error” occured which resulted in the PSPO lapsing.
As a dog owner she recognised that some people were afraid of dogs and there were issues with irresponsible owners not cleaning up after their pets.
Councillor Fowler said: “I have a dog myself but, in a park situation, I would always keep my dog on a lead and not let it annoy other people and children in a dog-free space.
“Dog walkers have the rest of the lovely park to walk around.”
Green councillor Kerry Pickett also backed the petition.
Councillor Pickett, who grew up in Fiveways, said that she had seen issues in Preston Park, the largest park in her ward, where irresponsible dog owners had threatened park volunteers who asked them to pick up their dog’s mess.
Councillor Pickett said: “Blaker’s Park is a well-used community hub and to keep it in some sort of harmony it unfortunately needs area separation to maintain the safety and health of the people using it.
“The dog free area has been in place for a long time and until now it has worked. The PSPO to enforce this area as a dog-free space needs to be reinstated.”
Conservative councillor Emma Hogan, who is also a dog owner, said that, with more than 1,400 signatures, there was a “local appetite” to reinstate the dog-free area.
Councillor Hogan said: “Children should be able to be safe and enjoy the green space without the distraction of dogs.
“We (the Conservative group) therefore feel that, as the appetite is strong, we support it. There are many other spaces, including in the park, for dogs and walkers of dogs.”
Councillors unanimously agreed to note the petition.
Councillor Fowler said that she had spoken to fellow Labour councillor Alan Robins, the council’s cabinet member for sports, recreation and libraries.
She said that he had assured her that he would like to ask officers to bring forward the consultation for a PSPO in Blaker’s Park.
With so many local residents wanting a dog control PSPO for the fenced area, surely Cllr Robins will actually ask officers to bring forward the consultation, rather than merely “liking” the idea of asking them?
Sounds like you are just arguing Fowler’s semantics there, Max.
The council has tried to incorporate this with the rest of the dog PSPO consultations. These are conducted every 3 years – the next one is due in autumn 2026. The group hasn’t requested a budget or any other resources to expedite the process, so it is likely to take just over a year until any action is taken.