Council launches consultation on PSPO to tackle litter and anti-social behaviour in Athelstan and Ethelbert Roads in Margate

The dumping of rubbish continues to be a real problem for people living on Athelstan and Ethelbert Roads in Margate. Waste is often left on the streets by local residents as well as by people living elsewhere. 

We are planning to introduce a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) on Athelstan and Ethelbert Roads. The aim of the PSPO is to reduce the amount of litter and rubbish on these streets, as well as reduce other anti-social behaviour (ASB). This is part of a wider Thanet Multi-agency Task Force project to help to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) and improve the appearance of the two roads. 

These statistics provide evidence that the PSPO is needed: 

• 7% of all flytipping within the district is contained within Athelstan and Ethelbert Roads, including the alleyway between the two roads. 
• 32% of all Fixed Penalty Notices issued in Thanet are issued at this location. 
• Over the last 12 months, 64% of complaints on Athelstan and Ethelbert Roads have been in relation to waste and fly-tipping. 

The proposed PSPO sets out what we will ask of residents living within the area. These are the changes that we would like to introduce:

1. Residents must put their household rubbish in the correct bin.
2. Residents must put out their bins on the correct collection day. 
3. Residents must not leave bins out on the street apart from on collection day. This means putting bins out after 6pm on the day before collection is due, and taking them back onto their property no later than 8pm on collection day. 
4. Residents must not dump or leave waste or litter on driveways, in gardens or other outdoor spaces.
5. Residents must make sure that garden walls and fences are safe and in good condition.
6. Residents must not make noise at any time that is likely to disturb their neighbours. 
7. Members of the public will not be able to use the alleyway between Athelstan Road and Ethelbert Road. The council will install lockable gates at each end. Residents, guests, emergency services and certain other authorised people will still be able to use the alleyway.

If the order is agreed, the new rules will apply to anyone in Athelstan and Ethelbert Roads. Enforcement officers will have the authority to enforce the new rules through Fixed Penalty Notices. The order will not replace any other laws or regulations that are already in place.

As part of the process to introduce the PSPO, we are holding a public consultation to give residents the opportunity to comment on the proposals, and to help shape the PSPO before it is presented to councillors for approval. It is important that we tell residents what will be expected of them once the PSPO is implemented, to make sure that the PSPO achieves its goals.

If you live, work or are responsible for a property in Athelstan or Ethelbert Roads, we would like you to give us your views. 

The consultation will be open from Monday 21 November to 5pm on Friday 9 December 2022.

Once the consultation has closed, we will review all the responses and if required make changes in line with responses before putting our plans to the councillors who make the final decision. We will let residents know what councillors decide. If the PSPO is agreed, signs will be installed to explain the new rules. 

You can read the draft PSPO document and if you are affected by the changes, you can complete the online survey on our website. 

You can find further information about the Thanet Multi-Agency Task Force on our website.