Agenda item

D Austin introduced the item and said the report will be going to Cabinet in July. There will be a face-to-face and online consultation and it will cover the Old Town, the Marlowes and the Water Gardens. Paragraph 1.2 states the conditions that must be met with regards to impact on others. This order will help give the council another tool to tackle anti-social behaviour. Previously, the committee considered a report on park by-laws and work is ongoing in relation to wild fowl feeding.

Councillor C Wyatt-Lowe said she was pleased to see the report and all the measures proposed were good ones particularly the one aimed at chewing gum which is a huge expense for the council to clear. Councillor C Wyatt-Lowe said she was in town last week and witnessed somebody feeding nuts through the railings onto the grass. This is counterproductive to the council’s efforts to stop the mess caused by wild fowl. It might be a good idea to have a designated feeding area near the Friends building once the Water Gardens are completed. Councillor C Wyatt-Lowe was also concerned about how they would be enforced.

Councillor Tindall was in favour of controlling wildlife and feeding the birds was also damaging to them. He hoped staff would be sympathetic when enforcing these orders as it would not be appropriate to punish a parent and child who are feeding the birds.

Councillor Birnie said he appreciated the need for a tidy town and anti-social behaviour needs to be addressed and some of the undesirable behaviours are more serious than others. Councillor Birnie asked if people would be criminalised for cycling through the town for example.

D Austin said the key was education which would run alongside the consultation which will seek the public’s view about which activities should be criminalised as not one size fits all. The report can come back to committee after the consultation state which will be October/November.

Councillor Birnie suggested there should be a light approach as people want to enjoy the town centre.

Councillor Marshall said it would be similar to park bye laws in the respect that they are in the back pocket to be used against serious anti-social behaviour.

Councillor Howard said the geese in the Water Gardens used to make a huge mess of the grass and asked what was being done to stop that when the new gardens open.

J Doe said that there will be fencing along the river bank to stop them from getting on the grass. He said these orders were about proportionality and education – signage would be going up to educate the public on the dangers of feeding the birds. The Council is advertising for a lead gardener in the Water Gardens who will be able to advise and educate the public. These orders are mainly for dealing with persistent offenders.

Councillor C Wyatt-Lowe said she saw a report on geese which said they produce 3lb worth of waste which causes major problems with the grass which no longer grew before the regeneration.

Councillor Timmis said feeding bread to ducks was harmful and maybe the Council should sell packs of proper bird food for children to still enjoy feeding the birds. In addition, chewing gum is a huge problem and its time the companies should take responsibility.

Councillor Tindall asked about culling the geese and if the crushing of the eggs has worked.

D Austin said it did happen but it was unsuccessful.

Councillor Tindall asked if there could be greater enforcement of cyclist through the town centre as they are dangerous to pedestrians.

Councillor Riddick said that begging was becoming a greater problem in the Town Centre and he was personally approached for money four times by the same person and there is also a camp set up on the lower deck of the car park taking up three spaces.

D Austin said the man in the car park was due to be relocated in the coming week and court action has been ongoing for some time. The Council work closely with the police to stop begging but it is difficult as it normally involves drug dependencies.

Outcome

That the Strategic Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee approve the report.