Have your say on Dog Control in Lambeth

The Proposal

This consultation is to ask residents for their views on a new proposed Dog Control Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) for Lambeth. 

The need for a Dog Control PSPO has arisen due to an increase in dog related anti social behaviour issues in the borough, such as dog fouling, dogs making unwanted contact or acting aggressively, or being walked in banned areas, such as children’s play areas or formal ornamental gardens. These issues have a detrimental effect on the local community’s quality of life. 

The proposed PSPO will be applicable borough wide, or for some proposals restricted to certain areas only, and will apply to publicly accessible land owned by Lambeth Council, including in parks, highways and communal housing land. 

The main objectives of the PSPO will be to: 

• Ensure responsible dog ownership in Lambeth and allow the council to have the ability to tackle dog related antisocial behaviour. 
• Prevent dog fouling, which is unpleasant and can have dangerous effects such as Toxocariasis, which can lead to blindness. 
• Formalise exclusion of dogs from areas designated for other priorities, such as children’s play areas, sport facilities, formal ornamental gardens, growing areas or community gardens. 
• Formalise areas where dogs must be kept on the lead to prevent damage or undue disturbance, such as churchyards, nature reserves or café seating areas. 
• Restrict the number of dogs that can be handled by one person to ensure responsible dog management and ensure others can feel safe when using out in publicly accessible areas. An exemption will be in place to allow any official licensed commercial dog walks to continue walking up to six dogs. 
• Allow offenders to be issued with Fixed Penalty Notices should they choose not to comply with reasonable instructions from officers such as picking up after their dog or removing their dog from restricted areas. 

The proposed PSPO will be valid for three years and will be reviewed after this period.  

We are keen to hear the views of our stakeholders and the wider public on the proposed PSPO, which can be viewed in full here:

Draft Dog Control PSPO