Issue - meetings

Report ES20033

The Committee received a report reviewing the existing Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO) regarding drinking in a public space to see whether they were necessary and effective. The Council currently had three Public Space Protection Orders setting out Alcohol Exclusion Zones (AEZ), now more commonly known as Controlled Drinking Zones (CDZ), covering Beckenham, Bromley and Penge town centres. Orpington town centre had also been covered by an AEZ, but this had not been renewed. It was noted that the map for the Bromley AEZ had been omitted in error from the report, and the Beckenham map had been duplicated.

A PSPO had to be reviewed every three years, but could be extended if the review supported extension and other requirements were satisfied. Most boroughs to the north of Bromley had now designated their entire boroughs as Alcohol Exclusion Zones, and it was recommended that Bromley follow suit. It was also proposed that psychoactive substances should be covered in the new order. 

The exact details of the PSPO were set out in Appendix B to the report. The Metropolitan Police had written in support of the Alcohol Exclusion Zones, and also supported a controlled zone around Star Lane, St Paul’s Cray, to reduce anti-social behaviour from off-road bikes/motorcycles. The letter was set out in Appendix C to the report.

It was confirmed that the Orders related to easily accessible public space (not necessarily just land in public sector ownership); incidents at night in locked parks would be issues of trespass. The fixed penalty notices were usually issued by the Police due to the difficulty in obtaining names and addresses, and the Council currently did not have people with accredited powers. It was also confirmed that it was proposed that the Alcohol Exclusion Zone would cover the entire borough; this would overcome recent problems when anti-social behaviour was covered in some areas, but not others nearby.

RESOLVED that

(1) The proposed statutory consultation exercise (as at Appendix A to the report) be approved to go out for public consultation in line with the Government’s Guide to Good Practice, to review the current Public Space Protection Order controls concerning the consumption of alcohol in a public place in the Borough.

(2) If no significant objection emerges as part of the consultation and no issues arise as a consequence of legal compliance checks, the Director of Environment and Public Protection be given delegated authority to create the Public Space Protection Order, in consultation with the Committee, as soon as possible following the end of statutory consultation; if a significant objection does occur then the matter will be referred back to this Committee for final decision on how to proceed.