Help Stanwell Moor tackle the challenges of private hire vehicles on The Moor by completing this online survey from Spelthorne Council – you have until 31 January to complete it so please do it now!
Spelthorne is consulting with residents about its proposals to introduce a new Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) on the misuse of public land.
You can complete the survey here.
This Council has been listening to residents’ concerns and the overarching aims of this PSPO is to tackle issues and behaviours which are unacceptable and impact on our communities across the Borough. The PSPO proposal includes:
- a ban on tents or similar structures being on public land to prevent littering and using the space as a toilet
- ban any device for cooking e.g. barbeques, in any our parks and open because of the hazardous impact to our environment
- an exclusion zone where taxis and private hire vehicles using residential areas will not be allowed to park for Heathrow to cover the entirety of Stanwell Moor, and parts of Stanwell worst affected
Currently, the Council has limited powers to deal with these issues. If a PSPO is in place the Joint Enforcement Team will be able to issue Fixed Penalty Notices for non-compliance with repeat offenders risking prosecution. The team would have discretion and, for example, would signpost rough sleepers towards appropriate assistance.
Stanwell Moor Residents Association has held public meetings with the village where this issue has been raised a serious problem: parking outside residents’ homes, enjoys idling (fumes and noise) day and night, defecation and litter left behind, blatantly parking on yellow lines, and abusing residents when confronted.
Details
A public spaces protection order is made by a Local Authority if satisfied on reasonable grounds that two conditions are met. Firstly, that:
(i) activities carried on in a public place within the authority’s area have had a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality; and
(ii) it is likely that activities will be carried on in a public place within that area and that they will have such an effect.
The second condition is that the effect, or likely effect, of the activities is, or is likely to be of a persistent or continuing nature, such as to make the activities unreasonable, and therefore justifies the restrictions imposed by the notice.
A public spaces protection order is an order that identifies the public place and prohibits specified things being done in the restricted area and/or requires specified things to be done by persons carrying on specified activities in that area. The order may not have effect for more than 3 years and the Local Authority must consult with the chief officer of the police and the local policing body before issuing the order.
Failure to comply with a public spaces protection order is an offence.
If you complete the survey then the Council is more likely to take the issue seriously and take action.
Cllr John Doran, Chair of the Neighbourhood Services Committee, said: “The Council currently has limited powers to deal with the misuse of public land that we receive multiple complaints about. We believe this proposed PSPO would improve our armoury to bring about a cleaner, greener and safer Borough for everyone. I encourage all residents to have their say on the consultation as I will as a Steering Group member of the Local Conversation in Stanwell.”
Complete the survey here.
Alternatively, you can email your comments to: lawenforcement@spelthorne.gov.uk