Issue - meetings

Laura Shakeshaft

Cheshire West and Chester Council were proposing to make a Dog Control Order which would require that dogs were kept on a lead whilst on part of the Neston to Deeside Greenway.

The Council had reached an agreement with the landowners – RSPB and MoD, to allow the construction of a new multi-user route which would run from Neston Town Centre to centres of employment in Deeside, North Wales and Chester.  

Part of the route ran across the RSPB reserve at Burton Point and the RSPB let the land to a local sheep farmer.  There had been incidents in the past where dogs had interfered with livestock.  The RSPB were also concerned about potential problems with ground nesting birds in the area.  

Given that the landowners were facilitating public access on their land and were not seeking to bar dogs from their land completely, the Council thought it not unreasonable to provide some legal protection in the form of a Dog Control Order.  It was understood that Flintshire County Council would be promoting a similar Dog Control Order on their part of the mulit-user route.

Forum members were asked to forward any comments on the proposals to Laura Shakeshaft, Greenspace Operations and Network Team Leader at Cheshire West and Chester Council – laura.shakeshaft@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk