Agenda and draft minutes

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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 item 8).

There were no items of urgent business.

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 deputations, petitions or 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 to tackle anti-social behaviour.

RESOLVED:

1.    To grant approval for consultation of the draft Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) as contained in Appendix 1.

2.    To note that a further report will be required following the consultation.

Reasons for decision

The Council's commitment to creating a safer environment for all residents and visitors is 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 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 is 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 is 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 is 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 has been ongoing and the detrimental effect the behaviour is having on our communities and businesses, this is not an option.

On 26^th June 2023, the Lead Member for Community Safety and Cohesion gave approval to consult on the draft Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), in respect of installing gates in Dovecote Avenue that would restrict entry and anti-social behaviour.  The purpose of this report is to present the outcome of the PSPO consultation and  to  seek the Lead Member’s approval for the proposed PSPO.

RESOLVED

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

Reasons for decision

Over the years, the Dovecote Avenue has attracted significant ASB, including numerous reports of fly tipping, graffiti, drug dealing, drug taking, street drinking, discarded beer cans, drugs paraphernalia, urine, and faeces (see appendix 2). There is CCTV in the alley, however, due to the poor lighting and the bends, the alley has various hidden and blind spots. The residents are afforded no protection as they enter a dark and enclosed alleyway to make their way to their front door.

The activity in Dovecote Avenue, as detailed in Appendix 2, have  had or is likely that they will have, a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality, It is likely that the detrimental effect will be persistent, and such as to make the activities unreasonable; the effect or likely effect is such as to justify the restrictions imposed by the proposed PSPO.

A number of other alleyways within Noel Park ward, were gated with restricted access, in 2022, through the Safer Streets initiative. These alleyways had similar ASB issues as Dovecote Avenue, gating these alleyways has proven successful in significantly reducing ASB and crime in the locations. The proposed gates for Dovecote Avenue will have similar secure by design structure, compliant with required health and safety and fire regulations.

The PSPO will allow two (2) gates to be installed which will restrict access to only those residing or operating a legitimate business at the location. Other legitimate services and contractors will be provided the access through a key pad access code.  A Gerda key box will be provided for Emergency Services to access which contain key pad access code. These restrictions will enhance the prevention of crimes and ASB at the location. The alley is not heavily used by pedestrians as a cut through, so gating it will not create access problems for pedestrians and the general public but will increase the security and safety of those residents living at this location. Restricting access will create a cleaner and safer environment, where business owners and residents feel more secure in their properties.

The Council and the Police have exhausted other options such as the installation of CCTV, increase in police patrols, issuing ASB warnings, Community Protection Warnings, Community Protection Notices and Fixed Penalty Notices, but these actions have not enabled a long-term resolution to the anti-social behaviour (ASB)  issues. These behaviours are having a detrimental effect on the lives of those living and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

There were no new items of urgent business.