A public consultation into dog control on the beaches in Hastings will open on Monday 5 August, with everyone encouraged to have their say about where and when dogs are allowed on the beaches.
The council is carrying out a review of the dog controls for beaches. The public consultation sets out three choices for dog controls on the beaches in the east of Hastings – the Stade beach and Rock-a-Nore beach.
The choices are:
Current dog controls- Keep the dog exclusion areas as they are; no dogs allowed on the Stade beach or Rock-a-Nore beach from 1 April to 30 September.
Option 1 – Removing the dog exclusion zone on the Stade beach so dogs would be allowed on this beach all year round. Keeping the dog exclusion zone from 1 April to 30 September on Rock-a-Nore in place.
Option 2 – Removing the dog exclusion zone on both Rock-a-Nore and Stade beach so dogs are allowed at all times all year round on both.
No changes are proposed to the dog controls on the rest of the beaches or in the parks and open spaces across town. The current controls are legally binding so have to remain in place and will be enforced until any review has been completed. The dog controls also covers prosecution for dog fouling, which can lead to a £100 on-the-spot fine or £1,000 if prosecuted through the courts.
Cllr Glenn Haffenden, lead councillor for housing and community wellbeing, said: “We know that some people were unhappy with the dog controls that were introduced by the previous council administration earlier this year. We are now giving everyone the chance to have their say so we can look at these again. Please complete the survey whether you have a dog or not as we want to hear from as many people that use the beach as possible, and we will have a look at the responses to see whether changes are needed.”
