Frustrated Fakenham dog owners claim town is becoming increasingly unwelcome for their pets
Frustrated dog owners claim Fakenham is becoming increasingly unwelcome for their pets.
They have accused North Norfolk District Council of leaving them with a shrinking number of areas to walk their animals, after new figures showed the town has the most dog exclusion zones of any in the district.
Instead, they say they are having to head out of Fakenham to find places to exercise their pets and have urged the council to rethink its approach.
They argue if the rules are loosened to allow them into more areas, then dog walkers may even help to curb some of the anti-social behaviour plaguing some of its parks.
The issue has become a particular bone of contention in Fakenham after the council asked for feedback on its public space protection orders (PSPO).
These are legal orders put in place to restrict access for dogs in certain public areas like parks.
The council is in the process of renewing its PSPOs across the district and is not proposing an increase in Fakenham.
However, owners have taken the opportunity to make their frustrations known with the council, lodging a string of complaints with the authority.
About half of the respondents for the entire North Norfolk area were Fakenham residents complaining about the lack of spaces to walk their pets.
One claimed: “There is nowhere to walk your dog anymore.”
Another said the restrictions were “all around” the town, pleading: “Please make Fakenham a dog-friendly area again.
“A lot of these spaces are being ruined by drug-taking teens. I’ve also seen them riding motorbikes on the playing field.”
Even members of the Parochial Church Council at Fakenham’s St Peter and St Paul’s Churchyard asked the council to reconsider its complete ban on dogs at the site.
In a letter, the PCC said: “Increasingly, our visitors are bringing dogs.
“It is hard to encourage families to attend events outside when they cannot bring their dogs, yet they can bring their dog into church.
“We would prefer the grounds were accessible for dogs on leads with their responsible owners present.”
In Fakenham, dogs are banned from four public areas - Queen’s Park recreation ground, Trap Lane playing field, Hayes Lane park and St Peter and St Paul’s Churchyard.
Aldiss Park, to the south of the town, is the only park without restrictions.
‘Dog on lead’ restrictions are also in place at the Gogg’s Mill picnic area.
By contrast, in North Walsham, there is only a small section of Memorial Park where dogs are banned - while Cromer has three such areas.
Despite the concerns from Fakenham, at a recent cabinet meeting the council approved the restrictions - and further PSPOs could be put in place in the future if there are calls to implement them.
Leader Tim Adams said: “These serve to protect the general public and ensure these spaces can be utilised by everyone.”
A North Norfolk District Council spokeswoman said: “North Norfolk welcomes dog walkers and it is a great place to walk your dogs, with a mixture of coast and countryside, but public spaces have protection orders so that they’re safe and enjoyable for all.”
TOO TIGHTLY LEASHED OR BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE?
Mark King, 60, who has a dog, Merlot, lives in the nearby village of Hempton.
He said: “My son lives in the north of Fakenham and there is no open space around there.
“But here (on Hempton Common, a mile outside Fakenham) at 6.30am there are lots of people arriving in cars bringing their urban dogs for a country walk.”
Linda Pitt, who has lived in Fakenham for 20 years, drives to Aldiss Park, the only area without restrictions, to let her German shepherd have a run around.
She said: “I don’t find it hard to find somewhere. If I don’t bring him to Aldiss Park I will walk him along the river.
“There are no dog poo bins here though.”
Lisa Orr, a professional dog walker, said: “I usually have to drive to larger open spaces but there are some lovely walks at Sculthorpe Mill and the beach.
“You can’t have dogs in play parks to protect the children but there are plenty of walks on the outskirts along the river.”
Leading the calls for more dog-friendly spaces is Mike Hannah, who runs a number of community projects, including the Men’s Shed in Fakenham.
Originally from New Hampshire in the US, Mr Hannah agrees that green spaces to walk a dog are quite limited in the town.
He also believes making parks more open for dog walkers could help discourage anti-social behaviour in them.
“There are some good walks but people have to travel to get there if you want to let your dog off the lead,” he said.
“In the town, you are limited to walking around the neighbourhood.
“The more people walking dogs in parks, it could mean less anti-social behaviour.
“But people would need to be responsible owners and pick up their dog poo.”
Mr Hannah has called for a dog park to be created and has suggested a section of the Millennium Park, where the skate park used to be, could be turned into such a facility – an idea that was popular with his fellow dog owners.
Angela Glynn, mayor of Fakenham, said her council was open to suggestions for the facilities on offer at the parks it manages.
She said: “If residents wanted to suggest a dog park, we could look into it with NNDC.”
However, as a dog owner of several years, she played down claims Fakenham was anti-dog.
“I don’t think we are short of places to walk dogs. There is a nice network of paths around the town,” she added.
