Public Space Protection Order - Darlington Town Centre

Town centre public space protection order

Town centre public space protection order

Darlington Borough Council currently has a PSPO covering the Town Centre which provides powers to deal with antisocial behaviour issues that relate to the consumption of alcohol, begging and threatening behaviour in the town centre.

This was renewed in July 2022 and is due to expire on 1 July 2025.

Local partners have a range of tools and powers at their disposal to respond and manage concerns about anti-social behaviour (ASB), from measures aimed at tackling the causes of ASB, awareness-raising, signposting for support, through to enforcement. 

Used proportionately and only in the right circumstances, PSPOs allow local areas to try and counter unreasonable and persistent behaviour that affects the quality of life of its residents and business.  Issuing Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) will only generally be considered when other means of addressing behaviour have not been successful. 

A PSPO is not a blanket ban on certain activities in a certain area. It enables police and civic enforcement officers to deal with certain circumstances. For example, by confiscating alcohol from adults. The aim is to make people feel safe, comfortable, and unconcerned as they go about their day-to-day business.

The Cabinet report contains more details on the proposals

Current PSPO details

• Current PSPO [pdf document]
• Current PSPO Map [pdf document]

Proposed PSPO details

• Proposed PSPO [pdf document]
• Proposed PSPO Map [pdf document]

What has changed?

The Council is consulting on the renewal of the order which would provide a continuation of the powers to deal with antisocial behaviour issues that relate to the consumption of alcohol, begging and threatening behaviour in the town centre. Some minor changes based upon experience are proposed in relation to the above to provide more effective management of the issues.

As part of this consultation the Council is also seeking views on additional powers and an extension to the area covered.

The new powers being considered are:

A power to be able to try and manage the Feeding birds in the town centre. Feeding of birds can cause issues for the public, businesses and potentially to birds and wildlife in the urban environment.  The majority of people do follow advice and guidance when asked to refrain from feeding birds, but some do not and hence we are consulting upon for inclusion in the town centre.

Another activity that the Council receives regular complaints about is the anti-social use of bicycles, scooters, skates and skateboards that can cause issues for the public, businesses. The responsible and legal use of bicycles, scooters, skates and skateboards is not an issue. However, some use is not considered social and causes concern in terms of public safety and damage to property.  For example, the use of street furniture and steps to perform stunts and tricks can cause damage and more importantly safety concerns to the public.  The locations that this happens can often be in heavily trafficked pedestrian areas. The locations where people gather to perform stunts are also taken out of legitimate use.  For example, if stunts are being performed on benches or steps, they are potentially out of use for the function they were installed.  For example, a bench may not be available for a person who needs to sit down for health and mobility reasons. A new condition is proposed for inclusion in the town centre PSPO and that would provide additional powers to try and deter Anti-social use of bicycles, scooters, skates and skateboards where it is appropriate and proportionate to do so.

We are also seeking views on extending the area covered by the PSPO to include Victoria Road from the Station entrance area to Feethams.  This is an important gateway to the town centre that has experienced issues of ASB covered by the proposed PSPO.

We would welcome your views on all of the aspects of the proposals and any experiences you have encountered so that we may consider them as part of the considerations on renewal.

Alternatively you can complete the form below and email it to [email protected]

Public space protection order town centre questionnaire [pdf document]