Dogs look set to be banned from the Rosie pool area in Wepre Park

Dogs look set to be banned from the Rosie pool area in Wepre Park and the memorial gardens in Mold.

Flintshire Council’s environment and economy scrutiny committee has recommended to the authority’s ruling cabinet that those locations are added to the county’s public spaces protection order (PSPO).

PSPOs were one of a number of tools and powers given to councils and their partners in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act.

Flintshire’s current PSPO covers enforcement against dog fouling which is the responsibility of the council’s Streetscene team. It also covers enforcement against drinking alcohol within town centres which is the responsibility of the police.

A Fixed Penalty Notice of £75 can be handed to anyone officers believe to be guilty of an offence, which would be required to be paid within 14 days.

The consultation on adding the area by the lake in Wepre Park and the memorial gardens in Mold took place over the summer.

Connah’s Quay Angling Club started a petition for the Rosie’s inclusion in the PSPO last year due to dog fouling blighting the enjoyment of anglers, walkers and community groups using the facilities.

After receiving a presentation on the consultation, Saltney Ferry Cllr Richard Lloyd (Lab) said more signage was needed and that existing signage needs improving in some areas. Streetscene chief officer Katie Wilby asked councillors to let their team know of areas in need of new signage.

Buckley Pentrobin Cllr Mike Peers (Ind) called for a distinction to be made between dog owners and the person walking the dog at the time of any offence.

He felt the recommendation needed to be specific that it is the person walking the dog who is responsible for it at the time, who should receive the fine. He also suggested Kendricks Field in Mold as an alternative dog walking area.

Higher Kinnerton Cllr Mike Allport (Ind) expressed frustration that the recreation ground in the village had not been included.

He said the community council has been writing to Flintshire Council for 12 months to ask for it to be included, saying: “It’s a relatively small area of land. It used to be a school field and is now leased to the community council.

“It’s not large enough to mark out as a football field and traditionally we’ve kept it as a community council as ‘no dogs allowed’.

“What the community council is trying to do is put this on a proper basis.

“We don’t want to waste another three years to make the representation but when you look at the likes of the Rosie and Mold there’s nothing substantially different about those two than our case.”

Officers said the community council contact came too late to be included at the same time as the Rosie and memorial gardens.

But dogs would automatically be excluded from parts of the field due to the marked sports pitch (tennis court) and children’s play area.

Officers offered to continue talks with Cllr Allport about this after the meeting.

Having submitted the petition on behalf of the angling club, Connah’s Quay South Cllr Bill Crease (Ind) thanked officers for getting it to this stage.

He said: “I’m very aware for some this is a contentious issue but if the recommendation is taken forward to cabinet and implemented the angling club can begin to deliver on its stated aim and ambition of delivering real benefit to the wider community.”

Cllr Crease listed the improvement work that has taken place to improve access to the Rosie in the last five years with plans to go further still.

The scrutiny committee recommended including the Rosie and the memorial gardens in the updated PSPO.

If approved by cabinet, the PSPO will begin on October 29 after a notice period.
By Rory Sheehan – Local Democracy Reporter (more here).