Thursday, 2 February 2012

Free running?


Readers may well already be aware by Public Notice published in The Bath Chronicle newspaper, that B&NES Council invited residents to comment on the above.

We have now been advised that the Consultation has been CANCELLED for the time being.

However, as the Consultation may be resurrected, readers may wish to see what was proposed and prepare any comments for submission at a later date.  Full details of the Orders were published on page 87 of The Chronicle newspaper dated 26th January 2012.

Details of the Consultation Documents were obtained from the Council's website, but, they have now been removed, due no doubt to the cancellation of the Consultation.  Other information is still available on this site, to link to this please click here.

We have already spent some time investigating how the Orders would have affected users of the Newbridge Village Green and, we give below a brief resume of same.

Order 1
The Fouling of Land by Dogs [Bath and North East Somerset] Order 2012.

This Order would have applied to the Newbridge Meadows Village Green.
All dog faeces to be removed by person in charge of a dog.

Order 2
The Dogs on Leads [Bath and North East Somerset] Order 2012.
Would not have applied to the Newbridge Meadows Village Green -  Area not shown in the Schedule.

Order 3
The Dogs on Leads by Direction [Bath and North East Somerset] Order 2012.

This Order would have applied to the Newbridge Meadows Village Green.

It will be an Offence for any person in charge of a Dog to fail to put and keep the Dog on a Lead of not more than 4 metres in length, when directed to do so by an authorised officer of the Council……….

The Registration of the Newbridge Meadows Village Green was obtained partly on the fact that for many generations people have been able to exercise their Dogs by letting them have free run of the area without the use of a Lead.

Having just won the right to continue exercising Dogs in this manner by way of the Registration of the area as a Village Green, any restriction by way of Leads would not satisfy the Registration of the area.

This Order should not apply to the Village Green but, by the original proposed Order, it would do so.

Order 4
The Dogs Exclusion [Bath and North East Somerset] Order 2012.

This Order would not have applied to the Newbridge Meadows Village Green  -  not shown in the schedule.

Order 5
The Dogs Specified Maximum [Bath and North East Somerset] Order 2012.

This Order would have applied to the Newbridge Meadows Village Green.
It will be an Offence for any person in charge of more than six dogs.

This information was obtained from the Council’s website (please see link above) and, has been confirmed as correct by the Council’s Senior Environmental Health Officer.

The closing time and date for making representations to the Dog Control Orders department, would have been midnight on the 23rd February 2012 but, as stated above, the consultation has been CANCELLED, due we understand to the vast number of objections to the Orders, already received by the Council.

We will of course advise you further should the Consultation be reinstated.