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£80 fines for owners who take dogs into park exclusion zone
New rules introduced after consultation which brought 1,700 responses
DOGS will be officially banned from some of Islington’s parks and squares under new rules which come into force on Monday.
Arlington Square and Gibson Square in Islington and Lonsdale Square in Barnsbury, along with all play areas and sports pitches, are among the long list of public spaces that will be dog-free under new government laws.
Previously, many of the borough’s parks and squares were free from dogs thanks to a mix of bye-laws, signs and custom and practice, but these were not always legally enforceable.
Now, with the introduction of dog control orders, owners will face an £80 fine if they take pets into exclusion zones, if they fail to clean up after dogs and if they refuse to put them on a lead when asked to do so by an authorised officer.
The rules have been introduced following a controversial consultation, which attracted more than 1,700 responses.
Kay Leedham-Green led a campaign against the council’s proposals because she feared dogs would be banned only from play areas and sports pitches, leaving them to be exercised on all green spaces, including existing dog-free parks.
“It was a lazy consultation,” she said. “They were proposing a blanket change of use across the borough. I’m not saying heads should roll but certainly there should be some kind of inquiry to ensure this cock-up doesn’t happen again.”
Ms Leedham-Green has welcomed the decision to keep dogs out of her local park, Battishill Street Gardens in Islington.
“I’m pleased with the results,” she said. “The main thing is my children are safe to use the park. I’m very pleased for the people who I’ve met through this campaign who had similar fears.”
Lib Dem leisure chief Councillor Ruth Polling said the consultation had been a way of starting from a clean slate, so the council could find an overall view of where residents wanted dogs to be allowed.
After receiving an overwhelming response, the council has agreed to use new laws to strengthen the ban on dogs in a list of parks, including Barnsbury Wood, Compton Terrace, Milner Square and Wilmington Square.
Dogs will be allowed in many other green spaces, including Caledonian Park, Spa Green Garden and St Luke’s Church gardens.
Cllr Polling said: “It’s taken us a long time to get to this. I want to thank everyone who contributed. Now it’s really clear that if your dog’s running around like a lunatic frightening children it’s not acceptable.
“We’ve tried to balance what was happening because the bye-laws didn’t necessarily reflect custom and practice.”
The orders will be enforced by Homes for Islington officials, park patrols, the council’s street environment team and police community support officers. Signs bearing the Contact Islington number are going up in all spaces so the public can log complaints, which will help patrols concentrate on hot spots.
Cllr Polling added: “The public said it’s not appropriate to have dogs in small parks. There are some places with no- dogs signs but because people have always walked their dogs there and nobody objected, we decided to allow them. For example, Dartmouth Park has a no-dogs sign but it’s always been used by dog walkers and the public agreed with that.” |
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