… in the Byes Park, Sidmouth Cemetery and Glen Goyle.
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Yesterday saw the launch of a new consultation from the district council, as per its announcement on social media: 📢 Have Your Say: Public Spaces Protection Orders
Have Your Say: Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) Full Review Consultation!
We are required to review each PSPO every three years and during this process we are considering some changes to the Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs). We want to hear your thoughts!
The consultation will run from Monday 3 March to Monday 28 April 2025 and covers three PSPOs:
Dog Control
Seashores & Promenades
Anti-Social Behaviour in Exmouth
Your feedback will help shape the future of public space protections across East Devon!
This is available on the Commonplace website as Have Your Say Today – Public Spaces Protection Order Full Review – and takes us to three sections, including the Dog Control PSPO general and Parish review questions which we are encouraged to answer.
The document to refer to is the “Public Spaces Protection Order 2026: Control of Dogs” – and for Sidmouth it lists four dog exclusion areas already in place (these are all children’s play areas) and several ‘dogs on leads’ areas also already in place – one of these being Glen Goyle.
Two new areas suggested for inclusion in the ‘dogs on leads’ areas are Sidmouth Cemetery and, perhaps more controversially, the whole of the Byes park.
Looking at these three areas:
THE BYES PARK
Back in August last year, a piece on these pages anticipated the consultation on controlling dogs in public spaces. At that month’s town council meeting, it was resolved that “Sidmouth Town Council accept the Public Spaces Protection Orders as issued by the District Council.” In other words, that no new areas, including the Byes, would be included.
Whilst this proposal to ask for dogs on leads on the Byes path was defeated it was left to members of the public, who would like something similar or otherwise considered, to request that the town council consider this once again or/and contact EDDC directly.
Clearly such a request was made and the area has been included in this consultation.
SIDMOUTH CEMETERY
Back in September of last year, an extensive piece was posted on the Cherishing Sidmouth Cemeteries news pages on controlling dogs at Sidmouth Cemetery – which included details of a submission by the VGS for this area to be included in the Dog Control areas consultation:
The EDDC Cemeteries regulation No 33 states “No dog will be permitted to enter or remain in any cemetery unless kept continuously on a lead and under proper control. Any fouling must be cleaned up and removed from the cemetery.”
This is not enforced – possibly because there is no legal restriction in place (PSPO) and consequently no penalties. Members of the public and members of the Cherishing Sidmouth’s Cemeteries group, who provide a regular volunteer working party to help maintain Sidmouth Cemetery, feel that dogs off the lead cause a public nuisance, in particular the fouling on paths and the graveyards.
It is understood that once an order is in place, that members of the public can then report offences to EDDC at Report a dog off lead or in banned area – East Devon and Report dog fouling – East Devon
It is also understood that it would provide a deterrent if notices were put up explaining what the consequences could be.
Photos were also provided as supporting evidence to demonstrate that the current PSPO requires changing.
And last month, it was pointed out that confusing signage up at Sidmouth Cemetery about allowing dogs or not, or asking for dogs to be put on leads, was only providing a lot of mixed messaging – so that not only have members of the CSC working party been confused and frustrated, but so have members of the pubic who use and visit the site.
It is hoped, then, that inclusion of Sidmouth Cemetery as an area for dogs to be kept on leads will make life for all more pleasant.
After all, this problem has been highlighted for much of the last twelve months on the Cherishing Sidmouth Cemeteries social media pages: A photo taken of bags of dog poo at Sidmouth Cemetery (May 2024), The Cemeteries group has sent in a request to change the current Public Space Protection Orders (September 2024) and Dogs are allowed into Sidmouth Cemetery – but on leads please! (December 2024).
GLEN GOYLE
At Glen Goyle, the current status of the Dogs Control order is that dogs should be kept on leads. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. And despite the presence of dog bins at both entrances, dog owners do not always pick up after.
Over the weekend, a member of the Friends of Glen Goyle’s steering group posted this piece on the Sidmouth Community for the People social media pages: These are some of the Friends of Glen Goyle. We do not appreciate having to clean up after dog owners!
The thread including photos (rather unpleasant, but they make the point) and comments is reproduced below:
- We appreciate your efforts! So many of us dog owners use this lovely space AND pick up after their dogs… we also use this space for walking with the Grandchildren/Children.…
- That is the usual thing isn’t it? Spoils it for everybody. Maybe a sign might help?
- So many of us dog owners use this lovely space AND pick up after their dogs… we also use this space for walking with the Grandchildren/Children.…It seems that one or two repeat offenders are spoiling it for everyone else
- That is the usual thing isn’t it? Spoils it for everybody. Maybe a sign might help?
- I’ve sent an email to Street Scene Ops. requesting ‘Dogs on Leads’ (and clean up) signs.
- No one likes to see dog poo and neither do we need to see sensory pictures of it on here too! A nice picture of the glen would be better.
- And unless the dog is XLL it can roam free in places like this.
- Thanks for your good work!
- The Goyle is lovely. You all do an amazing job. I love walking my little dog down there. If people won’t pick up after their dog they should’nt have one.
- Thank you. The Goyle looks amazing.
- If you’ve never walked through the Goyle your missing a treat. Please if you do walk through with your dog, don’t ignore and let them wonder off, keep your eyes on them and if they poo pick it up and put it in the bins which can be found at either end of the Goyle. Thankyou
- Try keeping them on a lead and be responsible. Is the words you are looking for.
- I don’t think all dogs need to be on a lead through the Goyle, having been a dog owner in the past, it was lovely to allow them to roam however I was always aware of where they were and what they were doing, clearing up and disposing of any poo respectfully.
- Lazy irresponsible owners
In other words, it is not simply having a ‘Dog Control Order’ in place – but it needs to be made clear to the public and to be enforced!
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