Agenda and draft minutes

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The Chair referred to the notice of filming at meetings and this information was noted.

To receive any apologies for absence.

There were no apologies for absence.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of Urgent Business. (Late items of Urgent Business will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items of Urgent Business will be dealt with under agenda item8).

There were no items of urgent business.

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There were no declarations of interest.

To consider any requests received in accordance with Part 4, Section B, paragraph 29 of the Council’s constitution.

There were no deputation / petitions / questions.

That Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Cohesion considered the report that sought approval of the consultation for this proposed Public Space Protection Order.

RESOLVED

The Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Cohesion to approve a 12 weeks consultation in respect of a proposed borough wide PSPO for alcohol control and other detrimental activities as detailed in the proposed PSPO at Appendix 1 and supported through the co-design process.

Reasons for decision

The Council's commitment to creating a safer environment for all residents and visitors was clear in its vision for the borough The Corporate Delivery Plan | Haringey Council. To achieve this vision, the Council was proposing the introduction of a borough-wide Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to address the ongoing issues of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and criminal activity that were currently blighting the lives of residents and businesses in the borough, making residents and visitors feel unsafe and creating an environment that was unwelcoming and unpleasant.

A Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) sets clear conditions for the use of specified public areas and enables authorised Council officers and Police Officers to engage individuals and educate them about their behaviour and responsibilities.

Haringey’s current PSPO provisions relating to alcohol were limited to certain areas.  Noel Park Ward was the only ward which had an alcohol control PSPO in place covering the whole ward.  Of the other remaining 10 Alcohol control PSPOs, these only apply to parts of the following wards: Bounds Green, Bruce Castle, Harringay, Hermitage & Gardens, Northumberland Park, St Ann’s, Seven Sisters, South Tottenham, Tottenham Central, Tottenham Hale and West Green.  With ward boundary changes in 2023, some of the alcohol control PSPOs had to be renamed as area PSPOs and no longer relate to a single ward; this may confuse residents and visitors to the borough and availability of resources to monitor and enforce the PSPOs can become muddled. There was no alcohol provision in the following wards: Alexandra, Crouch End, Fortis Green, Highgate, Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Stroud Green. Thus, leaving areas without a PSPO, vulnerable to displacement of this activity from areas which were covered by a PSPO.

In addition, Haringey’s neighbouring boroughs, all have borough wide alcohol control  provision, thus encouraging the displacement of such activity into Haringey, where our own provision was patchy. Enfield and Barnet have a complete prohibition on the consumption of alcohol in a public space.  Islington, Hackney and Waltham Forest have a PSPO that gives the police and authorised Officers of the Council borough-wide powers to confiscate alcohol and request people to stop drinking where there was reason to believe that if they do not, alcohol-related nuisance and annoyance was likely to occur.

The initial co-design consultation with residents and other stakeholders took place during January 2024.  Prior to this period the matter of a borough-wide PSPO was discussed with stakeholders at meetings such as Ward Panels, Ladder Community Partnership (LCSP), resident association meetings, and Neighbourhood Watch Association meetings. The overwhelming feedback from  the co-design process was the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

That Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Cohesion considered the report that sought approval of the consultation for this proposed Public Space Protection Order.

RESOLVED

That the Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Cohesion to approve the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) – Gating order, as contained in Appendix 1.

Reasons for decision

The Council's commitment to creating a safer environment for all residents and visitors was clear in its vision for the borough. To achieve this vision, the Council was proposing the introduction of a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to address the ongoing issues of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and criminal activity that are negatively affecting the park's atmosphere and the safety of those who use it.

The specific area in question, was located adjacent to the south entrance of the park on Seven Sisters Road, which poses certain challenges due to its design and layout. The main issues which have influenced the decision for the gating PSPO are as follows:

·                Layout of the area. The narrow line of sight and the transition from nearby amenities like Lidl into an open space have created an environment where unlawful activities can occur without being easily detected.

·                There was a lack of clear ownership or defined rules in the space which contributes to issues, as there are no clear indications of proper usage, including, poor pavement markings, the absence of signage and no clear parking restrictions.

·                The environment also allows individuals to conceal themselves around various corners, leading to decreased feelings of safety in the area. This contributes to the misuse of the space for criminal activities and anti-social behaviour.

·                The issue was not limited to pedestrian traffic; mopeds parking on the pavement further compounds the problem. While some moped riders might have legitimate reasons for being there, the presence of both legal and illegal users creates an assumption that this practice was acceptable, essentially establishing a "desire line" for mopeds in the area. This becomes a challenge to rectify, even if it negatively impacts the general public. It's also noted that the majority of moped users are pretending to be delivery drivers but are, in fact, involved in facilitating the supply of drugs.

Closing off the area by erecting gates and implementing the PSPO will bring an end to or restrict the behaviours above and subsequently, bring about improvements to the area such as, an increase in feelings of safety for users of the park in particular women and in addition the area will be put to better, legitimate use.

Alternative options considered

Not to pursue a gating order under a PSPO.

Given the length of time that the behaviour had been ongoing and the detrimental effect the behaviour was having on our communities and businesses, this was not an option.

Also the outcome of the statutory consultation in respect of this proposal was support for the implementation of the Finsbury Park (South Side ) PSPO

There were no new items of urgent business.