Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs)
Confirmed Gating Orders and their associated maps can be seen under the Downloads section.
Changes in the way that police, councils and other agencies deal with Anti-Social behaviour came into force on Monday 20 October 2014. The changes, under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, streamline the powers available to public bodies to deal with anti-social behaviour.
Public Spaces Protection Orders replace Designated Public Place Orders, Gating Orders and Dog Control Orders.
PSPOs specify an area where activities are taking place that are or may likely to be detrimental to the local community's quality of life. PSPOs impose conditions or restrictions on people using that area such as alcohol bans or putting up gates.
The Council can make a PSPO if it believes the activities are detrimental to the local community's life and that the negative impact is so much to make the restrictions reasonable.
Breach of a PSPO may be a criminal offence punishable by a fixed penalty notice or prosecution.
The maximum duration of a PSPO is three years but they can last for shorter periods of time where appropriate. At any point before expiry, the Council can extend a PSPO by up to three years if they consider that it is necessary to prevent the original behaviour from occurring or recurring.
PSPOs replace Gating Orders under Section 129A of the Highways Act 1980. Our current Gating Orders will continue to be valid for a period of three years (following commencement of the new power, effective 20 October 2014). At this point, they will be treated as a PSPO.