ePetition - Reinstate the Dog Free Fenced Area in Blakers Park

Council response

Response provided at Full Council on Thursday 10 July 2025:

Thank you for bringing this petition and all the hard work you have done campaigning on this issue. I am speaking in support of the fenced-off area in Blakers Park to be re-instated as dog-free. It shows how many people who have signed the petition and have written to me how important it is to local residents to keep this area dog-free.

I believe a genuine error was made when the PSPOs were advertised and Blakers Park was missed off the list. This happened because the fenced-off area had been dog-free for a number of years, since the 1970s, and even had Brighton & Hove City Council signs that stated it was dog-free, and people were not notified about this consultation.

The council has removed the signs, someone did an FOI and it was found that the park wasn’t included in the PSPOs. Friends of Blakers Park contacted the council to get the dog-free area reinstated but were told this wasn’t possible until 2027 and that there was no evidence that a PSPO was required but to give evidence that it is needed, which Friends of Blakers Park did and have been emailing the council ever since.

The park has always been popular with families, young children and dog owners who like to walk their dogs but not pick up the dog mess after them. The bark became so full of dog mess that parents stopped taking their children to the park to play, so a group of local residents campaigned for this area to be dog-free to protect children from coming into contact with dog mess that can causes many diseases, such as toxoplasmosis, which can cause blindness. The council listened to residents and created the fenced-off area which has been dog-free since then. City Parks also maintained and repaired the railings when they had a gap that allowed dogs to get in, and the sign was also replaced when damaged.

I have enjoyed some lovely birthday parties and picnics with my own children in Blakers Park fenced area knowing it is safe and free of dog mess. I have been on picnics in other areas and have had dogs off-lead and out of control walking all over my picnic area – and although I love dogs, and my children are not afraid, some children have a genuine fear of dogs so the small fenced area is not suitable for dogs to be exercised off-lead. I have a dog myself, but in a park situation I would always keep my dog on a lead and not let it annoy other people and children in a dog-free space. Dog walkers have the rest of the lovely park to walk around.

A paediatrician has said to one of the residents that obesity in children is going up because of what they eat and a lack of exercise and habits are learned when they are young, and children should not be prevented from going into the park because of fear of dogs and dog-mess.

I have had complaints from residents about dogs being out of control and there is also the problem of people not always picking up the dog-mess. I don’t want this area to become a puppy park which I believe is being advertised online. I’ve been down there myself and I’ve seen hundreds of dogs running around and children can’t play.

I’ve spoken with Councillor Robins, the Cabinet Member for Sports, Recreation and Libraries, and he has said he would like to therefore ask officers to bring forward the consultation for a PSPO in Blakers Park.