Report by Environmental Protection Service Lead (attached) and minute extract of the Strategy and Resources Committee held on 13 November 2020 (to follow).

The Chair thanked the Environmental Protection Service Lead and his team for their hard work.

Council considered a report by the Environmental Protection Service Lead (circulated previously) and the minute extract of the Strategy and Resources Committee held on 13 November 2020 (circulated separately) regarding the Public Spaces Protection Orders Dog Control.

The Monitoring Officer confirmed that following the meeting of the Strategy and Resources Committee he had sought clarification and advised that assistance dogs were not required to be registered with a member organisation of Assistance Dogs UK.

Councillor Chesters declared a personal interest as Chair of the Braunton Marsh Drainage Board.

In response to questions the Environmental Protection Service Lead advised that there were opportunities to work with Parish Councils and other partners to undertake enforcement duties on behalf of the Council subject to the appropriate scrutiny arrangements and training being provided.  Consistently worded signage would be placed along the Tarka Trail and all old signage would be replaced.  These costs would be met from existing resources.  The behaviour of cyclists using the Tarka Trail could be looked at separately.

RESOLVED that the recommendations of the Strategy and Resources Committee held on 13 November 2020 regarding Public Spaces Protection Orders Dog Control be approved.

Report by Environmental Protection Service Lead (attached)

The Chair read a statement to the Committee in response to a number of emails and letters that had been sent to Members of the Committee attacking Members personally.

The Committee considered a report by the Environmental Protection Service Lead (circulated previously) regarding the proposed implementation of public space protection orders (PSPO) designed to address anti-social behaviour associated with irresponsible dog ownership.

The Environmental Protection Service Lead highlighted the following:

·       Over 3,000 responses had been received in response to the recent public consultation exercise designed to inform the evidence base for implementing any new PSPO.

·       Considering the number of responses received and the need for absolute transparency and robustness of the data, an external consultant was commissioned to undertake an independent analysis of the responses received.  There was majority support for the controls identified in the consultation exercise.

·       Officers have further liaised with the landowners to clarify their views for those aspects of the consultation which presented a majority opposition (the six main amenity beaches and the Tarka Trail).

·       On consideration of the data presented following the consultation, the reactive requests of service in relation into this area of work and following consultation with landowners, officers were satisfied that there was legal justification for implementing a suite of measures to enable the Council to better address anti-social behaviour associated with irresponsible dog ownership as detailed in paragraph 4.9 of the report.

·       It was recommended that recommendation 2.1 be amended to also include “section 4.10”.

In response to questions, the Environmental Protection Service Lead advised the following:

·       The proposed measures were for the whole North Devon Council area including the Tarka Trail and would enable officers to instruct people to place their dog on a lead.

·       The anti-social behaviour of cyclists could not be included within the proposed PSPO and needed to be considered separately.

·       Officers had worked with Parish Councils and land owners to include all areas of land that experienced problems with anti-social behaviour associated with irresponsible dog owners.  If there were any other areas not included, officers could review the evidence for these areas and consider recommending measures for implementation by the Committee.

·       In relation to buffer zones being put in place around High Tide Roosting, proposed measure 5 stated “issue FPNs’ of £100 to people who allow their dogs to be present within the vicinity (to be defined on a site specific basis) of land used as a High Tide Roosting Site (as identified in Appendix 3, Figure 1) between 1st October and 31st March.”  Detailed maps would be drawn up for each site to clearly identify the exact areas to which the controls refer and he would liaise with Ward Members regarding the location of signage.  

·       Officers had contacted all landowners where a consultation response had not been received.  In relation to the Tarka Trail, in response to the question “Do you support the implementation of controls which would allow the issuing of FPN’s of £100 to people who do not place  ...  view the full minutes text for item 216