Public Spaces Protection Orders

Status:

Current consultation

Start date:

07 July 2025

Closing date:

31 August 2025

Details

A Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) is a provision created by the Anti-Social behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which is intended to deal with particular nuisances or problems in a defined area that are considered to be detrimental to the local community’s quality of life, by imposing conditions on the use of that area which will apply to everyone so that the majority of people can enjoy public spaces.

As a council, we have the power to implement PSPOs with the purpose of stopping individuals or groups committing anti-social behaviour in public spaces. Anti-social behaviour is a broad term used to describe the day-to-day incidents of crime, nuisance and disorder that make many people’s lives difficult.

A PSPO can place restrictions and requirements on an area where activities have, or are likely to have, a detrimental effect on the quality of life of local people, is persistent or continuing in nature, is unreasonable and justifies the restrictions imposed by the PSPO.

Breach of a requirement in a PSPO to desist in a particular activity is a criminal offence which can result in a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) of up to £100, or a fine of up to £1,000 if prosecuted. The Council and the Police are authorised under the Act to enforce PSPOs.

We are seeking your views about the impact of these behaviours to enable us to better understand if we should renew some of our PSPOs to continue to address the likes of dog fouling and car cruising, and if we should introduce additional PSPOs to help in dealing with the likes of illegal gatherings and/or unlicensed music events.

Each PSPOs relate to one of three different areas:

• The whole borough
• Parks and open spaces
• Council estates and associated land

Click on the links below for draft details of each PSPO (PDF documents):

• General anti-social behaviour (borough wide)
• Vehicle cruising (borough wide)
• Dog control – on lead at all times (selected parks and open spaces)
• Dog control – to put on lead if requested (selected parks and open spaces)
• Failure to keep dogs out of the designated area (selected parks and open spaces)
• Maximum (6) number of dogs at same time (parks and open spaces)
• General anti-social behaviour (Council estates)
• Sales on the highway (the A10 and A406 and within 150 metres of all junctions onto these roads)
• Smoking in play areas (playgrounds)
• Abandoned vehicles (Council owned land and land adjoining the highways, footpaths and bridleways – shown on map)
• General anti-social behaviour (all parks)
• Illegal gatherings and unlicensed music events (borough wide)
• Barbecues (all parks)
• Street harassment (borough wide)
• Urinating, defecating and spitting (borough wide)

How you can share your views

1. Questionnaire (external website) for those responding as residents. OR
2. Email (for elected officials and representatives from the likes of local voluntary and community groups, Friends of the Parks, businesses, Police and Ambulance Service, as well as individuals who do not live in the borough). Emailed responses should be sent to haveyoursay@enfield.gov.uk.

Closing date

31 August 2025 (11.59pm).

Further information

Evidence base (PDF).

If would have any queries about this consultation or require assistance in participating in this consultation, please email haveyoursay@enfield.gov.uk.