Nottingham City Council is to consult on whether 13 Public Spaces Protection Orders restricting access to alleyways and rights of way across the city should be extended for up to a further three years.
A delegated decision approved the start of formal public consultation on the proposed extensions, which relate to routes in areas including St Ann’s, Mapperley, Radford, Bulwell, Aspley, Hyson Green, the Arboretum and Cinderhill. The decision is subject to call-in, with an expiry date of 2 June 2026.
The orders restrict public rights of way over specified highways and allow barriers to remain in place at each restricted area. They are currently due to expire on 17 October 2026 unless they are extended before that date.
The council report says that if the orders are not extended, the barriers would no longer be authorised and would become obstructions to the highway, meaning they would have to be removed.
The 13 orders cover locations including a footpath near Bentinck Primary School, land at Beverley Square in St Ann’s, land between Botany Avenue and Ransom Road in Mapperley, Camomile Gardens in Radford, Candle Meadow in Colwick Park, Haswell Road to Courtleet Way in Bulwell, Holland Street in the Arboretum, Kilnwood Close, Neston Drive in Cinderhill, Portland Road in the Arboretum, Smedley Close in Aspley, Hovenden Gardens in Hyson Green and Dane Court in St Ann’s.
The affected wards are listed as Aspley, Basford, Bulwell, Bulwell Forest, Dales, Hyson Green and Arboretum, Mapperley and St Ann’s.
Several of the restrictions were originally made as Gating Orders under the Highways Act 1980 before later being treated as Public Spaces Protection Orders under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. Others were made directly as PSPOs in 2017 and 2018.
The report says Orders 3 to 12, which were originally Gating Orders, were first extended in September and October 2020, depending on which area committee approved the extension, and were extended again in 2023. The Hovenden Gardens order was also varied in 2023 to extend the area where the public right of way is restricted.
Orders relating to Bentinck Primary School and Beverley Square were originally made in 2017 and extended in November 2020 and again in 2023. The Dane Court order was originally made in 2018 and extended in 2021, then again in 2024 for a shorter period so that it would expire at the same time as the other orders.
The council report says there has been a “significant reduction” in anti-social behaviour reported in the areas since the orders were introduced. It also says allowing the orders to expire, and the barriers to be removed, may result in the recurrence of the anti-social behaviour previously identified in those locations.
The restrictions are linked to concerns including street drinking, drug use, drug dealing, sexual acts, fly-tipping and other anti-social behaviour. Breaching a PSPO is an offence, and a fixed penalty notice can be issued as an alternative to prosecution.
The decision made at this stage does not extend the orders. It only authorises the council to begin formal consultation on whether they should be extended.
The council is required to consult before deciding whether to extend a PSPO. The report says the consultation is expected to run for two weeks, in line with statutory guidance, and must include the police, the local policing body, relevant community representatives and owners or occupiers of land within the restricted areas. The council must also publicise the proposals on its website.
After the consultation, any representations received will be reported back to the relevant executive member, in consultation with ward councillors for the affected areas. A further decision will then be made on whether the orders should be extended, varied or discharged.
Legal advice included in the report says the consultation proposal would appear to comply with legislative requirements. It also notes that the consultation is about extending the duration of the existing orders only, meaning no other changes to the contents of Orders 1 to 13 would be possible at the end of this consultation process.
The report says there is no financial cost attached to the decision to consult. Finance comments record the total value of the decision as nil.
The council considered allowing the orders to lapse without consultation, but rejected that option because it could lead to an increase in anti-social behaviour or the loss of an enforcement tool without first assessing community impact or alternatives. It also rejected extending the orders without further consultation, because that would risk failing to comply with statutory requirements and could expose the authority to legal challenge.
The final decision on whether the alleyway and right-of-way restrictions remain in place beyond October 2026 has not yet been made.
The consultation is inviting residents, businesses and visitors to share their views on a range of proposed measures linked to anti-social behaviour, community safety and the management of public spaces within the city centre.
www.mynottinghamnews.co.uk/nottingham-residents-invited-to-share-views-on-proposed-city-centre-pspo/
