Sennen Cove news & views

Home Page
News Home
 

Beach Dog Ban

Items of news / debate for inclusion should be emailed on the e-mail button
Please use plain-text emails (NOT html) and clearly indicate Sennen News in the subject line.
The e-mail should be signed with your name - not a `user name` or similar.
Inclusion is completely at the discretion of the webmaster - no apology will be made for this...
Only material of interest or benefit to the local community will normally be accepted.

19th September
Andrew

This slipped out as a one liner in the last SPC meeting.

SPC has recommended to Cornwall Council a 24 hour dog ban on the beach for
next summer. The current situation is dogs can be walked on the beach before
8am and after 7pm between May and end September.

The recommendations will be discussed by Cornwall Council's Single Issue
Panel of the Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee (you couldn't make
that up, could you) on 23rd September. It then goes out to consultation
(meaning they'll ask two people you've never heard of) in two to three
months time.

The recommendation was, I understand, based on owners continued lack of
responsibility in cleaning up after their dogs and lack of dog wardens to
police the policy.

I make no judgement here just thought a wider public needed to be informed.

 

Comments

Flohp 9 June I have been going to sennen beach now for the last 16 years and i have to say that this is the first year that i have been disappointed by the rubbish and DOG MESS that has been on the beach. While on was on there one morning with my children a dog owner let his dog mess just near us (this was after 9 am),all he said was “"well I've picked it up” i feel there should be a total dog ban from the beach from April-October.
Jamie 27 Sep

http://democracy.cornwall.gov.uk/Published/C00000789/M00002780/$$ADocPackPublic.pdf

If any one is interested, the above link leads to the document under discussion at the Committee meeting on the 24th September. To save scanning through the document, the council was reviewing all the arrangement for dog access to beaches, inviting Parish Councils and others to make their comments. Sennen PC is reported as having made one of the shortest representations as follows:

Sennen Parish Council consider that for Sennen Beach there should be a twenty-four hour ban on all dogs from 1 May to 30 September. Kind regards. Mrs Alexis Male, Clerk to Sennen Parish Council.

Just over 40 beaches have Dog Ban Orders in place apparently. All are seasonal. 21 are 24 hour bans, 22 are 12 hour bans. Of the 22 with daytime bans, 15 PCs did not reply, 3 supported the current partial ban and 4 (including Sennen) asked that the ban be extended to the 24 hours.

One of the issues here will be balancing Sennens reputation as a holiday location that welcomes everyone, and preserving the Blue Flag status of the beach. If the PCs recommendation is followed then the next stage is a comprehensive public consultation.

John 22 September

One thing dogs and humans have in common is they need to go to the toilet.

 

Dogs and humans together on beaches are in themselves not a problem. If humans went to the toilet and left their mess on the beach that would present a problem on a number of levels. Dogs don’t possess the same self-restraint. However dog owners possess a responsibility for their dogs and that includes the cleanliness of beaches (in fact anywhere in public) shared with others with and without dogs.

 

The solution is not banning dogs from beaches but providing facilities that assist maintaining beach hygiene. Living near a National Trust ‘beach’ at East Head near Chichester they don’t ban dogs. They provide numerous free ‘poopa’ bag dispensers and bins all the way round the beach. The beach is extremely clean and also a happy place where humans and dogs hygienically co-exist.

 

There is an increasing propensity for councils to become more militant and controlling in many aspects of human lives from waste bins, car parking and speeding fines and much else. They love being in control.

 

Let common sense prevail and allow human freedoms to co-exist with responsibility. Why not licence all dog owners? Make it part of holding that licence that they clear up their dog’s mess wherever they are. It should be a privilege to own a dog as well as a responsibility.

Terri 21 September
We were on the beach one sunny afternoon in late June and saw a man there playing ball with his very large dog.
When I explained he could get fined for bringing his dog on the sand his reply was, " There aren't any signs to say dogs aren't allowed on the beach ".
Considering how many signs there are on the railings, slipways and carparks already it seems those who don't want to comply with the rules will always plead ignorance to them.
There are none so blind as those who will not see.

Clare & Richard

20th September

We are regular visitors to Sennen Cove. We personally very much like the current arrangements and would be upset to see a return to a total ban in the summer.  We are responsible dog owners and always 'pick up'.  There must be ways to ensure everyone does the same - more notices, bigger fines, cctv, web cams, even volunteer dog wardens etc.  We will happily do our bit and challenge offenders!

Perranporth's council are also proposing changes and there is a facebook page (Against Possible Perranporth Dog Ban) where lots of people have commented - perhaps this might be an idea? 

One thing we did notice this summer was that on a particularly sunny day, the beach was still quite crowded at 7pm.  If changes do have to be made, then a compromise could be to delay till 8pm.  (8-8 would be easier to remember).


Jamie 20th SEptember Given that the SPC has made the recommendation on behalf of the community, is there any room for debate? Or is there a process by which those who believe that dogs and humans can coexist by night on Sennen beach can make their case perhaps with proposals on how the few careless dog owners can be persuaded to behave?
Disclaimer About this site Privacy
© terry george ~ Cowloe Productions 2001 - 2010