Have Your Say: Dog Rules on Public Open Spaces including the Great Field

Dorset Council is running its three-yearly consultation on its Dog-Related Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs). These Orders affect all public open spaces including the Great Field. Dorchester Town Council will be considering its response to the consultation at its July Management Committee meeting.

What are the current rules?

At present the Order requires the removal and disposal of dog faeces on all public open space, designates areas where dogs are required to be kept on leads and areas where dogs are not permitted at all which includes any fenced or hedged play area.

For the Great Field this means that dogs are excluded from the main play park and for the rest of the area dog faeces are to be picked up and removed from the site. Any person that fails to comply with the Order is guilty of an offence under Section 67 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, but we are not aware of this being enforced over the last three year and there have been no major incidents involving dogs. 

The existing use of the Great Field is long established.,

Any Changes

Would you like to see any changes to these existing arrangements? If so this is your opportunity to bring your ideas to Dorset Council for its consideration.

How to respond

If you wish to respond to the consultation further information about the Order can be found on Dorset Council's website using this link – Proposed Dog Related Public Spaces Protection Order - Dorset Council - Citizen Space

You are welcome to copy your views to Councillor William Gibbons, who brought this consultation to our attention, by Friday 3 July: wedgibbons@gmail.com. Please state if you are a dog owner. These comments will be fed back to the Town Council management committee to consider at their July meeting.

As part of the CAofP's ongoing work to support responsible dog ownership across Poundbury, you can find out more about our doggy bag dispenser initiative here.