Whitby dog beach ban overturned by borough council after public outrage

A ban on dogs on Whitby's beach has been changed following a public outcry.
A ban on dogs on Whitbys beach has been changed following a public outcry.A ban on dogs on Whitbys beach has been changed following a public outcry.
A ban on dogs on Whitbys beach has been changed following a public outcry.

Yesterday, Scarborough Council’s cabinet voted to bring back the boundaries of the 2017 dog ban on the beach following a public consultation.

The area where dogs could not go on the beach during the summer season was extended by approximately 150 yards earlier this year and a number of dog-walkers complained, saying the steps they now had to use to get onto the sand was not safe.

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An online campaign was started and the council agreed to look again at the changes.

In total, 1,249 people replied to the second consultation, compared to just 314 for the first.

Cabinet member for Public Health and Housing, Cllr Bill Chatt (ind), told today’s cabinet meeting that he was happy to change the Public Space Protection Order for Whitby’s beach.

He said: “I’m pleased to say that every cabinet member went to look at the steps and said ‘yes they are accessible but they are not as good’ so I think that was something we all agreed on the day that we would like to see put back to how it was.

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“Not that a mistake had happened, we carried out a proper consultation, we consulted with people and people chose not to get involved in that consultation.

”Following the second consultation, a number of other changes were proposed in a number of areas in Scarborough, including where dogs could and could not be on leads."

Cllr Chatt said he had “grave concerns” about some of the changes as they related to playing fields and play parks and asked the cabinet to defer the Scarborough proposals for further investigation.

He added: “All this stems from one thing, the [dog owners] who are not responsible for their animals, the ones who walk away from their dog mess and leave it.”

The Whitby ban will revert back to its former location if it is approved by the full council in January.