Put your dog on a lead '“ or you can't go walkies in Hotham Park

Dog owners and park volunteers have combined to urge the scrapping of the proposed bylaw which will stop the pets running around the green space in Bognor Regis.

A complete ban on dogs in two areas of the park will also be discussed by Arun District Council's policy development scrutiny committee on Tuesday, July 21.

Their views will be passed to all councillors for the final decision, probably in September.

A series of other legal measures to ensure dogs are kept under control on public spaces elsewhere around Bognor and their faeces cleaned up will be discussed as well.

But it is Hotham Park, as Bognor's only park, which has attracted the most attention.

Dog owner Valerie Brown, of Wellesley Court, said the council would be ignoring the wishes of the town's residents if its members went ahead with the dog control restriction.

"This is called democracy '“ but not as I know it," she said.

"When the dogs-on-leads policy for Hotham Park was announced, a petition was organised in the very short time available before the closing date.

"The petition was placed in two cafes, several shops and a local pub and park users were also approached.

"A total of 485 Bognor residents signed the petition and only 85 wanted dogs to be kept on leads. This shows a clear majority of Bognor residents would like matters left as they are in the park."

Hotham Park Heritage Trust chairman Rosemary Warren said: "The council has not listened to the people. The council has chosen to ignore the petition, preferring to opt for the results of a straw poll as the view of the majority.

"This poll of 50 signatures, taken on the open day of the park, voted for dogs to be kept on leads, but failed to mention many living outside Bognor Regis were present. The decision process has, therefore, been undemocratic.

"Arun has also said it carried out a survey before the park was refurbished which showed 'a majority' in favour of the proposal.

"Where are the figures to support this statement because the park users and dog walkers were not approached for their opinion and neither was the trust at that time?

"This is scandalous in what is supposed to be a democracy. The park is the only open area left within walking distance of the town where young and old meet and chat.

"There is nowhere else, and those who use it regularly value it and take great care of it."

A report to the committee by Arun's principal solicitor, Susan MacLeod, says the Hotham Park proposal is the most contentious among the dog bylaw changes being proposed by the council.

Comments directly received about it were 52 and a 400-name petition against, 21 against but could accept a compromise and 17 plus a 143-strong petition in support.

There were also some 50-plus comments at May's park open day in favour of the idea and two against.

She says councillors will have to decide if suggestions for a defined dog-exercise area should be followed up.

"The dog wardens have expressed concerns that confrontation can occur between dogs in a defined area and, therefore, they do not support a defined exercise area, but this is an option which could be considered.

"Another suggestion was to require dogs to be on a lead between specific times of day, allowing free exercise in the early mornings and late evenings.

"It is considered this is likely to give rise to confusion and difficulties in enforcement and is, therefore, not recommended," she said.

One proposed area of control, however, has resulted in a likely victory for dog owners. Committee members will be asked to increase the number of dogs able to be walked together from the suggested four to six as a result of protests.

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