Dog Control Public Space Protection Order (PSPO)

Overview

Hackney Council currently has a Dog Control Public Spaces Protection Order in place. The purpose of this PSPO is to control several issues that arise as a result of people failing to exercise proper control of dogs in public places.

The current PSPO is due to expire on 17 March 2024 and can be viewed at: https://hackney.gov.uk/dog-control-orders 

We are proposing to:

• extend the PSPO for a further three years, and
• vary the PSPO by:
  • adding to the prohibitions / requirements stipulated in the PSPO,
  • updating the list of locations from which dogs are excluded, and
  • updating the list of locations in which dogs must be kept on a lead.

Why is a Dog Control Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) needed?

PSPOs are aimed at ensuring public spaces can be enjoyed free from anti-social behaviour. They are not about stopping the responsible use of public spaces, but they do provide councils with a tool to tackle persistent issues that are damaging their communities.

Over the past eighteen months, we have received a large amount of correspondence relating to the behaviour of dogs in the borough. Many residents are nervous about the large numbers of dogs in Hackney’s parks and green spaces. 

In addition, there are increasing numbers of professional dog walkers using Hackney’s larger parks and green spaces. It is very difficult for professional dog walkers to be in control of high numbers of dogs at any one time.

This PSPO has been designed to be as clear as possible, giving clarity and outlining expectations. Well-behaved dogs can be walked or exercised freely off-lead in most large parks. This promotes healthy exercise for dogs and takes into consideration the needs of the borough's dog owners and the welfare of dogs.

The aim of the public consultation is to invite views from all Hackney residents and interested groups about a variety of dog control related issues and potential amendments to the current PSPO. Additionally, the consultation aims to enhance comprehension of residents' firsthand encounters with dog control in parks and public spaces.

What will the updated Dog Control PSPO include?

The updated PSPO will include: 

1. A ‘dog fouling of land’ prohibition, which makes it an offence if dog owners do not remove their dog’s faeces from land within Hackney that is open to the air and accessible to the public. This prohibition applies to all land in Hackney and includes:

• public roads, footpaths, cycle paths and verges adjacent to these roads
• parks and recreational spaces, cemeteries and Council-owned allotments
• school playing fields, playgrounds and any land surrounding schools and colleges

• council-owned housing estates

2. A ‘dog exclusion’ prohibition, which enables the Council to stop dogs from entering certain areas including children’s playgrounds, sports courts, multi-use games areas, BMX tracks, outdoor gyms, skate parks, splash pads, marked pitches where games are in-play, water sports centres and reservoirs, and dog free areas in parks.  

3. A ‘dogs on leads’ requirement, which enables the Council to stop people from exercising dogs off-leads on roads, in car parks, churchyards, burial grounds (including Abney Park), and some smaller public parks.  This requirement excludes canal towpaths, as these areas are managed by the Canal & River Trust rather than the Council.  

4. A ‘dogs on leads by direction’ requirement, which gives officers the power to request that dogs be put on leads where they are not under the appropriate control of their owner, or where they are causing damage or acting aggressively. This requirement applies to the entire borough. 

And a new requirement:

5. A ‘maximum number of dogs’ requirement, which makes it an offence for a person to have more than four dogs under their control at any one time. This requirement applies to the entire borough. 

Are there any exemptions?

The following would be exempt from the Dog Control PSPO:

• people who are registered as blind, disabled or otherwise rely on dogs,
• anyone training an assistance dog, and
• a dog used by the police or other agencies permitted by the Council for official purposes

The following would be exempt from all provisions of the Dog Control PSPO, except the ‘dog fouling of land’ prohibition:

• anyone who has been given permission by the owner, occupier or person in charge of the land, not to comply with the order.

How will the PSPO be enforced?

If the person in charge of a dog fails to comply with the requirements of an order, they will be issued with a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice and taken to court if the fine is not paid within the specified timeframe. A person guilty of an offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale (£1,000) unless:

• they have the consent from the owner, occupier or person in charge of the land, not to comply with the order
• they have a reasonable excuse for failing to comply, or

• they fall within one of the other exemptions within the order, such as the exemptions in the order for persons who are registered disabled and persons who have a registered assistance dog.

How long will the PSPO last?

We are proposing that the PSPO lasts for three years, until March 2027, at which point we would decide whether to renew it in consultation with residents.

Which locations will dogs be excluded from?

You can find a map showing the details and locations of the prohibitions/requirements in the Online Survey.

Dogs would be excluded from the following locations. Proposed new locations are underlined and in bold:

BMX Tracks

HAGGERSTON PARK, E2

Children’s Play Areas
ALLENS GARDENS, N16	EVERGREEN ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND, E8	MABLEY GREEN, E9	SPRING PARK, N4
BUTTERFIELD GREEN, N16	HACKNEY DOWNS, E5	MILLFIELDS PARK, E5	SPRINGFIELD PARK, E5
CLAPTON COMMON, E5	HACKNEY MARSH ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND, E9	PERSON STREET ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND, E2	ST JOHN’S CHURCHYARD PLAY AREA, E9
CLAPTON POND, E5	HAGGERSTON PARK, E2	ROWLEY GARDENS, N4	STOKE NEWINGTON COMMON, N16
CLAPTON SQUARE, E5	HOMERTON GROVE ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND, E9	SHAKESPEARE WALK ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND, N16	STONEBRIDGE GARDENS, E8
CLISSOLD PARK, N16	KIDSACTIVE AFTER SCHOOL CLUB, E5	SHEPHERDESS WALK, N1	WELL STREET COMMON, E9
DAUBENEY FIELDS, E9	KYNASTON GARDENS, N16	SHOREDITCH PARK ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND, N1	WEST HACKNEY RECREATION GROUND, N16
DE BEAUVOIR SQUARE, N1	LONDON FIELDS, E8	SHOREDITCH PARK, N1	WOODBERRY DOWN PARK, N4

Fenced Off Dog Free Areas
CLISSOLD PARK, N16	HACKNEY DOWNS PICNIC AREA, E5	SPRINGFIELD PARK (CAFÉ SEATING AREA)
HACKNEY DOWNS (OLD BOWLING GREEN AREA), E5	MILLFIELDS PARK, E5	SPRINGFIELD PARK (OLD BOWLING GREEN AREA), E5

Multi Use Games Areas
ASKE GARDENS, N1	HAGGERSTON PARK, E2	SHOREDITCH PARK, N1
BUTTERFIELD GREEN, N16	LONDON FIELDS, E8	STONEBRIDGE GARDENS, E8
CLISSOLD PARK, N16	ROWLEY GARDENS, N4	UFTON GARDENS, N1
HACKNEY DOWNS, E5	SHEPHERDESS WALK, N1

Outdoor Gyms
BUTTERFIELD GREEN, N16	MILLFIELDS PARK, E5	SPRINGFIELD PARK, E5
HAGGERSTON PARK, E2	MABLEY GREEN, E9	WEST HACKNEY RECREATION GROUND, N16
LONDON FIELDS, E8	SHOREDITCH PARK, N1

Small Parks

DE BEAUVOIR SQUARE

Skate Parks
CLISSOLD PARK, N16	DAUBENEY FIELDS, E9

Splash Pads and Children’s Water Features
CLISSOLD PARK, N16	ST JOHN’S CHURCHYARD, E9

Sports Courts
ASKE GARDENS TENNIS COURT, N1	HACKNEY DOWNS TENNIS COURTS, E5	MILLFIELDS PARK TENNIS COURTS, E5
CLISSOLD PARK TENNIS COURTS, N16	LONDON FIELDS PETANQUE COURT, E8	SHOREDITCH PARK BEACH VOLLEYBALL COURT, N1
GAINSBOROUGH PLAYING FIELDS, E20	LONDON FIELDS TENNIS COURTS, E8	SPRINGFIELD PARK TENNIS COURTS, E5
HACKNEY DOWNS BASKETBALL COURTS, E5	MILLFIELDS PARK BASKETBALL COURTS, E5	SPRING HILL RECREATION GROUND TENNIS COURTS, E5

Sports Playing Pitches
HACKNEY DOWNS CRICKET AND FOOTBALL PITCHES, E5	MABLEY GREEN ARTIFICIAL TURF PITCHES, E9	SPRING HILL RECREATION GROUND RUGBY PITCHES, E5
HACKNEY MARSHES CRICKET, FOOTBALL AND RUGBY PITCHES, E9	MABLEY GREEN FOOTBALL PITCHES, E9	SPRINGFIELD PARK CRICKET PITCHES, E5
HAGGERSTON PARK ARTIFICIAL TURF PITCH, E2	MILLFIELDS PARK CRICKET PITCHES, E5
LONDON FIELDS CRICKET PITCH, E8	SHOREDITCH PARK SPORTS PITCHES, N1

Water Sports Centre and Reservoirs

WEST RESERVOIR, N4

Where would dogs have to be kept on a lead?

You can find a map showing the details and locations of the prohibitions/requirements in the Online Survey.

Dogs would need to be on leads in the following locations. Proposed new locations are underlined and in bold:

ABNEY PARK CEMETERY, N16	KIT CROWLEY GARDENS, E9	ST THOMAS' LONG BURIAL GROUND, E9
ALBION PARADE, N16	LEVY MEMORIAL GROUND, N16	ST THOMAS' SQUARE, E9
ALBION SQUARE GARDENS, E8	MARK STREET GARDEN, EC2	UFTON GARDENS, N1
ASKE GARDENS, N1	QUAKER BURIAL GROUND, N16	WEST HACKNEY RECREATION GROUND, N16
CHARLES SQUARE, N1	SHACKLEWELL GREEN, E8	SHEPHERDESS WALK, N1 (which is over half a hectare in size)
CHURCH STREET GARDENS, N16	SHORE GARDENS, E9	QUEEN ELIZABETH OLYMPIC PARK (which is over half a hectare in size)
CLISSOLD PARK ANIMAL ENCLOSURE AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS OF CLISSOLD HOUSE AND THE PUMPHOUSE, N16	ST JOHN AT HACKNEY CHURCHYARD, E8
FAIRCHILD’S GARDEN, E2	ST JOHN OF JERUSALEM CHURCHYARD, E9
GOLDSMITH'S SQUARE RECREATION GROUND AND PLAY AREA, E2	ST LEONARD'S CHURCHYARD, E1
HOXTON SQUARE, N1	ST MARY'S OLD CHURCH, N16

Why are you proposing that dogs be kept on leads in Abney Park Cemetery?

The proposal to require dogs to be kept on leads in Abney, like other churchyards in Hackney, is driven by several compelling reasons:

• Preservation of Historical Significance: Abney is Hackney's most significant burial site with historical and cultural significance. By extending the requirement for dogs to be on leads, the Council aims to show respect for the site and the individuals buried there. Keeping dogs on leads helps prevent them from running amongst the graves, which can be seen as a mark of respect for the deceased and their families.
• Ecological Conservation: Abney is also one of the borough's most significant ecological sites, with valuable habitats and diverse wildlife. Allowing dogs to run freely in such areas can lead to habitat disruption, damage to plant life, and disturbance of the local wildlife. Requiring dogs to be on leads helps protect this precious ecological site and maintains the balance of its delicate ecosystem.

In summary, the proposal to keep dogs on leads in Abney aligns with the existing regulations for churchyards in Hackney and is motivated by a desire to preserve both its historical significance and ecological importance. This measure aims to strike a balance between responsible dog ownership and the protection of this unique and valuable site.
 

 

Why your views matter

The vast majority of dog owners act responsibly, keeping their dogs under control and clearing up their dog’s waste. However, the council continues to receive complaints about dog-related negative behaviour and irresponsible dog owners.

In response to this, we have made some proposed variations to the Dog Control PSPO and are consulting with residents to ask their opinions about a variety of dog control-related issues. The feedback from this consultation will help to shape and inform the final Dog Control PSPO.

We would like to hear your views on any aspects of the proposed Dog Control PSPO. Please complete the survey and provide us with your feedback.  

If you need any information on this website in a different format please email consultation@hackney.gov.uk  We’ll consider your request and get back to you within 5 working days.

Further information

The current PSPO and the areas it covers can be viewed here.